The box office was pretty uneventful in general the weekend before the release of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens.
At the tail end of last week’s box office report I suggested that the “tale that inspired Herman Mellville’s Moby-Dick should be the film that finally supplants The Hunger Games.” Well, I was wrong. Ron Howard’s seafaring adventure, which was actually two movies for the price of one (whaling and survivalist tale) debuted on more than 3,100 screens but only made an estimated $11 million. That opening is Howard’s lowest wide debut in more than a decade (2003’s The Missing opened to $10.8 million).
The Hunger Games maintained its number one spot with $11.3 million to bring its four-week total to $244.5 million. It was a photo finish for Thanksgiving holdovers The Good Dinosaur and Creed. Only a few $100k separate spots #3 and #4 on the list. In the battle of Christmas, the horror-comedy Krampus finished No. 5 with $8 million while the Seth Rogen comedy The Night Before dropped to No. 7 with $3.9 million.
Of particular note is seeing both Spotlight and Brooklyn still hanging around at the bottom of the top 10. With the rush of critics awards and nominations by the Screen Actors Guild and Hollywood Foreign Press (Golden Globes) expect these two be just inside or on the periphery of the top 10 in the weeks to come.
In limited release, Trumbo loses 106 screens and makes $810k to bring its limited release total to $5.4 million. Paramount Pictures debuts The Big Short on eight screens and earns $720k. Carol, after picking up a slew of Golden Globe nominations, expands from four to 16 screens and makes $336,924 (a percentage increase of 132.2%). In addition to Carol, The Weinstein Company moved Macbeth from five locations to 108 and raked in $251k.
My not so bold prediction for this week’s release: Star Wars will open #1. But it may not break Jurassic World‘s record-setting opening weekend on account of both Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip and Sisters debuting on more than 2900 screens each.
Top 10 below.
01. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 – $11.3 Million ($244.5m)
02. In the Heart of the Sea – $11 Million
03. The Good Dinosaur – $10.5 Million ($89.6m)
04. Creed – $10.1 Million ($79.3m)
05. Krampus – $8 Million ($28.1m)
06. Spectre – $4 Million ($190.7m)
07. The Night Before – $3.9 Million ($38.2m)
08. The Peanuts Movie – $2.65 Million ($125m)
09. Spotlight – $2.5 Million ($20.3m)
10. Brooklyn – $1.975 Million ($14.3m)
