It was a close one but Sonic The Hedgehog was able to fend off The Call of the Wild to maintain the top spot at the box office for the second weekend in a row.
Despite The Call of the Wild besting Sonic on Friday, last weekend’s box office champ was able to rebound on Saturday and Sunday and pulled in $26.1 million to claim the number one spot. That’s a drop of 54.9% which was to be expected considering business was inflated last week due the holiday. The film has grossed $106.4 million domestically and internationally the film added another $38.3 million, pushing the international gross to $96.5 million for a global tally topping $203 million. The overseas number is impressive considering the China release has been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak and that likely would’ve been a huge market for the film. Despite this, Sonic is a much-needed hit for Paramount Pictures and well ahead of its reported $87 million budget.
Debuting in second is The Call of the Wild which grossed $24.7 million. The good news here is that the film overperformed based on tracking, which had the film debuting in the $18 million range. The Call of the Wild also got decent reviews (61% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and moviegoers liked what they saw as it scored a 90% audience score on the site and received an “A-” CinemaScore. The bad news is that, much like Dolittle which opened to a decent number, the film cost $135 million to make and that money is not going to be made on the domestic front. It’s possible that good word of mouth could be in play but it won’t be enough to earn its budget back in the states. Internationally, the film launched in 40 markets with an estimated $15.4 million for a $40.2 million global launch. The story is so overtly American that I’m not sure it will have much traction with overseas audiences but we’ll have to wait and see how much the international earnings help in allowing the film to come close to breaking even.
In third we have Birds of Prey which continues to struggle with a gross of $6.8 million. That’s a drop of 60.4% and with that drop, all hope of the film grossing $100 million domestic has been thrown completely out of the window. The film has a running total of $72.3 million and I’m still scratching my head as to why this didn’t click with audiences. It was a really fun film and a step in the right direction for the DCEU. The film also added another $10 million internationally this weekend from 78 markets, pushing its international total over $101 million for a global tally that currently stands at $173.7 million. The worldwide gross will ease the bleeding since the film only carried a $90 budget but the discussions at Warner Bros. will continue to be about why this project didn’t perform better.
Originally placing fifth, we have Bad Boys For Life actually landing in fourth place once the final numbers came out with a gross of $5.84 million. That’s a drop of 49.3% and the film continues its road to $200 million with a current total of $191.1 million. Internationally the film added another $8.1 million, including a $1.1 million debut in Italy, pushing the overseas total to $200 million for a worldwide tally reaching $390 million.
Rounding out the top five is another horror release that fails to deliver. Brahms: The Boy II grossed $5.82 million and it’s likely to be forgotten by next week. The film received a “C-” CinemaScore which is better than the “F” grade that The Grudge and The Turning received but that’s faint praise. The horror genre is struggling right now and let’s hope The Invisible Man can reverse it’s fortunes this weekend.
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 |
