Pixar’s Onward took the top spot at the weekend box office but it registered one of the lowest openings for a Pixar film and now the big debate will have people wondering did growing coronavirus concerns stall the box office or did this one just not connect with moviegoers?
Onward opened to $39.1 million over the weekend which is actually a bit lower than estimates which had the film grossing $40 million. The film had the distinction of having the fourth-lowest opening for a Pixar film across 22 films but now it’s essentially tied for third with The Good Dinosaur which opened to $39.1 million back in 2015. The first two lowest openings actually belong to Toy Story and A Bug’s Life but those films were the beginning for Pixar and before they became the behemoth of computer animation. I’m not entirely sure coronavirus fears played a part with the domestic opening coming in below the $45 million tracking. Some box office experts think the film didn’t have the typical Pixar hook to lure in the target audience and that marketing seemed a tad off. Despite opening below expectations, the film received good reviews (86% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) & it received an “A-” CinemaScore which means that those who saw it, did like it. It’s a Pixar film so it should have decent legs but it’s definitely going to ultimately be on the low end of box office grosses for Pixar. Internationally, the coronavirus pandemic definitely hurt the film’s overseas potential as it only took in $28 million from 47 territories, comprising a little over 60% of all overseas markets. The film was tracking for a $50-55 million overseas opening prior to the coronavirus madness so the global box office is definitely going to take a bit of beating moving forward until we get a handle on this.
The Invisible Man falls to second and holds well with $15.1 million. That’s a drop of 46.3% and even drop below 50% for horror is a win so word of mouth is definitely at play here. With a very modest Blumhouse budget of $7 million, The Invisible Man has grossed $52.6 million domestically and internationally the film added an additional $17.3 million this weekend for an overseas total that now tops $45 million and a global tally, just shy of $100 million at $98.3 million.
Opening in third is the critically-acclaimed Ben Affleck drama, The Way Back, with $8.1 million. This is pretty much where tracking had the film opening although I thought it could go higher due to the good reviews. The subject matter might be a tad too heavy for casual moviegoers but its “B+” CinemaScore to go along with its 87% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes could indicate some word of mouth working in its favor down the line. This is more of a personal win for Ben Affleck who deservedly is getting some of the best reviews of his career. His performance alone is worth the price of admission.
In fourth we have Sonic The Hedgehog which is so very close to topping Detective Pikachu as the highest-grossing video game adaptation of all-time. The film pulled in $7.7 million this weekend, representing a drop of 52.8% and a running domestic total of $140.5 million. Pikachu grossed $144 million last summer and Sonic will claim that total as it heads into this weekend. Internationally, the film added another $12 million for an overseas total reaching $154.8 million and a global haul that now stands over $295 million. I can only imagine how much higher it would be if China was in play.
Rounding out the top five is The Call of the Wild which grossed $6.7 million, down 49.4% weekend to weekend. The film has a domestic gross of $57.2 million to date which would’ve been fine had the film not cost between $125-135 million to make. Internationally, it added another $4.8 million for an overseas total that now tops $42 million and a global total just shy of $100 million at $99.6 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 |
