Disney has dominated the box office most of this year but they had to settle for a misfire over the weekend because while Disney’s Maleficent: Mistress of Evil did take the top spot at the box office, it opened well below expectations and will have to rely on its international presence to turn a profit.
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil opened to $36.9 million and placed number one in the process. For Disney live-action openings, this is the lowest by far of this new wave, coming in below the $45.9 million of Dumbo back in March. The performance is also nearly half of the $69.4 million opening for the 2014 original which makes this opening even more concerning. So what went wrong? The first film opened in late May of 2014 when most of the target audience was beginning to be off of school for the summer while the October release date for the sequel has most of the demo with less free time. Reviews could also be an issue. The first film was 53% rotten on Rotten Tomatoes while the sequel was also rotten and even lower with 41%. That being said, reviews didn’t matter the first time around as Maleficent became a huge hit at the domestic and worldwide box office and if the audience score on Rotten Tomatoes is any indication, the sequel is well-liked by those who have seen it. The film has a stellar 95% from the audience and adding to that the film did receive an “A” CinemaScore. Perhaps this isn’t a case of the audience not enjoying themselves but more of an issue that this sequel wasn’t really necessary. Whatever happens on the domestic front, overseas audiences came out in a big way for Mistress of Evil. Internationally, the film launched in all major markets, bringing in an estimated $117 million for a $153 million global debut.
Joker may have fallen to second after two weeks at number one but it’s still the subject of some major box office clout. The film grossed $29.2 million, dipping just 47.6% in the process. That’s another drop of less than 50% which is a bit unheard of for a comic book film, even ones that are universally well-received. Joker brings its domestic total to $247.2 million to date and internationally the film added another $77.8 million for an overseas total that now tops $490 million and a worldwide gross that now stands at $737.5 million.
Debuting at the high end of tracking in third is Zombieland: Double Tap with $26.8 million. Keep in mind that 10 years separate this film from the original which could usually mean potential box office erosion but the sequel managed to tick up from the $24.7 million opening of the first film. This was honestly the best-case scenario since the sequel did receive decent reviews (67% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) but it’s well short of the 90% fresh rating of the first film. That being said, the audience score is 90% for the sequel and the film did receive a “B+” CinemaScore so audiences seem to be satisfied with this zombie road trip reunion.
The Addams Family falls to fourth after a surprisingly strong debut last week to $16.3 million, down 46.1% week-to-week. The drop is a tad steep considering the subject matter is perfect for the Halloween season but the drop is below 50% which is all you can hope for in this box office climate. The Addams Family has grossed $57 million to date and has a couple of more weekends to take advantage of the spooky time of year. A final gross of $90-100 million is still very much possible.
Rounding out the top five is Gemini Man which can now be officially called a flop as it earned $8.3 million, down a staggering 59.6% week-to-week. The film has grossed $36.3 million at the domestic box office and that’s all on a $138-140 million budget. We reported yesterday that the studio is likely to see a $75 million loss on this film and international grosses are likely not going to save it as it was originally believed. Internationally, the film brought in an estimated $33.4 million this weekend, the bulk of which coming from a $21 million opening in China. The film’s overseas total now stands at $82.2 million for a global gross reaching $118.7 million.
Check out the full top ten results below:
| 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 |
