Aquaman wrapped up the final box office weekend of 2018 as the number one film in America for the second weekend in a row. As 2018 comes to a close, Aquaman has proven to be the big winner of the holiday season.
Aquaman grossed $52.1 million, down just 22.6% from last weekend. The domestic total now tops $189.3 million and it’s well ahead of Justice League at its current pace. Internationally, Aquaman brought in an estimated $85.4 million this weekend from 78 markets for an overseas gross totaling $560 million and a global tally reaching $748.8 million. The biggest market for Aquaman has proven to be China where it has grossed $260.4 million. Many insiders think that Aquaman will likely gross $1 billion worldwide which would make it a huge win for Warner Bros. & DC.
Maintaining second place is Mary Poppins Returns which grossed $28 million, up 19.1% from last weekend. Domestically the film has grossed $98.9 million and has made up ground with solid holds after what some saw as a smaller than expected start. Internationally, Mary Poppins added $28.9 million this weekend from 37 markets for an international total that now stands just shy of $75 million. The film’s top overseas market remains the UK where it has grossed nearly $30 million so far and it will open in Australia and Russia next weekend.
Staying put in third is Bumblebee with $20.9 million, down just 3.5% from last weekend. The film has grossed $67.1 million domestically and it’s still one to watch as audiences are enjoying it much more than the previous Transformers films. The only real obstacle for Bumblebee is that it faces direct competition from Aquaman and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse so one has to wonder how long these films can play nicely with each other side by side. Internationally, Bumblebee is now playing in 55 markets from which it grossed an estimated $45.7 million this weekend for an overseas total that now stands at $90 million. Highlights among new openings include a $7.8 million opening in South Korea followed by the UK ($6.3 million), France ($4.1 million), Brazil ($3 million), Taiwan ($2 million) and Hong Kong ($1.5 million). The film will begin playing in China on January 4 followed by a March 22 release in Japan.
Holding well in fourth place is Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse which grossed $18.8 million, up 14.3% from last weekend. The film has proven to be one of the top choices for families during the holiday season and it’s also thriving because it’s a unique animated film that hasn’t really been done before. Spider-Verse has grossed $104.1 million at the domestic box office and it added another $27.4 million internationally from 60 markets for a worldwide gross that now totals $213.2 million. Spider-Verse has still yet to open in Brazil where it will debut on January 10 followed by a March 28 opening in Japan.
Rounding out the top five is The Mule which grossed $12.1 million, up 28.1% from last weekend. The success of The Mule is being fueled by older audiences and the fanbase of Clint Eastwood who has driven a lot of his films to great success. The Mule has grossed $61.1 million at the domestic box office and while the film doesn’t really have an international presence, the $50 million film could hold on in the weeks ahead to hit $100 million at the domestic box office.
Outside of the top five is where you will find some of the other holiday releases which are putting up mixed results. Vice lands in sixth $7.7 million and has grossed $17.6 million since opening on Christmas Day. The film is doing the business that most expected it would but it is a very divisive project and it may need some Golden Globe wins and key Oscar nominations in order to stay afloat. Aside from the mixed notices from critics, Vice earned a tepid “C+” CinemaScore which doesn’t really bode well for potential word of mouth.
Another Christmas Day release, Holmes & Watson, debuts in seventh place with $7.4 million. The film has grossed $19.8 million since opening on Christmas Day but this is where the good news ends. I doubt it will recoup its $42 million budget domestically due to its extremely poor reviews (8% rotten on Rotten Tomatoes) audiences don’t like what they have seen either, granting it a “D+” CinemaScore. The steady decline in attendance since Christmas Day should tell you exactly where this film is headed.
Landing in eighth place is Second Act which grossed $7.3 million, up 13.6% from last weekend. I’m calling the latest Jennifer Lopez effort a win because it only cost about $16 million to make and has grossed $21.9 million to date. If the film taps out at $30-35 million it will be considered a win and thanks to the studio keeping costs low.
We have to go all the way to fourteenth place to find Welcome to Marwen, which grossed $2.2 million, down 5.3% from last weekend. Marwen has grossed $7.7 million to date and won’t be coming close to its $39 million budget. This is the lone true loser of the holiday season as it has been reported that the film is likely to lose $50-60 million for Universal Pictures due to its poor performance.
| Film | Total | % Change | Gross to Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Onward | $10,601,952 | -72.9% | $60.3 |
| Bloodshot | $9,176,695 | NEW | $9.17 |
| I Still Believe | $9,103,614 | NEW | $9.10 |
| The Invisible Man | $5,890,805 | -61.1% | $64.3 |
| The Hunt | $5,304,455 | NEW | $5.3 |
| Sonic the Hedgehog | $2,522,584 | -67.3% | $145.7 |
| The Way Back | $2,356,115 | -71.2% | $13.3 |
| The Call of the Wild | $2,226,720 | -67.1% | $62 |
| Emma. | $1,295,215 | -73% | $9.9 |
| Bad Boys for Life | $1,102,208 | -63.5% | $204.2 |
