Kingsman: The Golden Circle Shoots Its Way To The Number One Spot

Kingsman: The Golden Circle continued another successful September weekend but the sequel came in a bit below expectations even though it did take the top spot.

The film took in an estimated $39 million from 4,003 theaters, which is below the $45-50 million it was tracking at. The opening improves on the $36.2 million opening for the first film, but the film’s performance over the next couple of weeks will tell the true story. The first Kingsman turned its $36 million debut into a $128 million domestic run, a 3.54x multiplier. Should Golden Circle follow suit we’re talking about a $138+ million domestic run, which would surely satisfy the folks at Fox if it can also match the first film’s $286 million performance overseas. I think the immediate weekend will be the most telling. It faces off against American Made and Flatliners and their performance will play directly into how this film holds up, If they’re a bit week, Kingsman could hold pretty well. However, if they’re in more demand, Kingsman could see a significant drop in week 2. A final domestic gross above $100 million domestic should be enough of a win as international box office is already starting off on the right foot.

As for that international performance, the film brought in an estimated $61.2 million from 55 overseas territories, a 63% improvement compared to the first film in the same suite of markets at current exchange rates. The performance was led by a $11.1 million debut in the U.K. nearly doubling the $6.4 million opening for the original followed by Russia ($6m), Taiwan ($4.8m), Australia ($4.4m), Indonesia ($3.3m) and Malaysia ($2.8m). The film has thus far debuted in less than half of the international marketplace with openings in South Korea (9/27), France (10/11), China (10/20) and Japan (1/5) yet to come.

In second place we find Warner Bros. and New Line’s hit horror It, which added an estimated $30 million to its domestic total, making it the highest grossing R-rated horror film of all time (not adjusted for inflation) with $266.3 million, topping The Exorcist ($232.9m). Additionally, the film brought in another $38.3 million internationally from 59 markets bringing its international gross to $211.7 million for a global haul of $478 million.

WB’s The LEGO Ninjago Movie entered the weekend with industry expectations targeting a $27-32 million opening. Unfortunately, the film only managed an estimated $21.2 million from 4,047 theaters, the lowest opening for the franchise by a wide margin. Earlier this year The LEGO Batman Movie also underperformed against expectations, though not by as wide a margin. The Ninjago Movie targeted the smallest audience segment yet for the LEGO series, appealing mostly to young boys while the original LEGO Movie appealed to a much wider demographic and the LEGO Batman Movie even segmented that out a bit by comparison.

Check out the full top ten results below:

  1. Kingsman: The Golden Circle – $39 million
  2. It – $30 million
  3. The Lego Ninjago Movie – $21.2 million
  4. American Assassin – $6.2 million
  5. Home Again – $3.3 million
  6. mother! – $3.2 million
  7. Friend Request – $2.4 million
  8. The Hitman’s Bodyguard – $1.8 million
  9. Stronger – $1.7 million
  10. Wind River – $1.2 million

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About Gaius Bolling 3795 Articles
At the age of five, I knew I wanted to write movies and about them. I've set out to make those dreams come true. As an alumni of the Los Angeles Film Academy, I participated in their Screenwriting program, while building up my expertise in film criticism. I write reviews that relate to the average moviegoer by educating my readers and keeping it fun. My job is to let you know the good, the bad, and the ugly in the world of cinema, so you can have your best moviegoing experience. You can find more of my writing on Instagram @g_reelz.