Four films debuted in wide release this weekend — two coming in notably above expectations, the other two below.
Not “Mid”dle of the Pack
Lionsgate’s WWII action film Midway went all the “way,” surpassing even the most optimistic expectations with a $17.8M opening. Most pre-release projections had it in third or fourth place, around $12M.
Theater counts reflected that tempered expectations, as the film’s 3,242 screens were only had the fourth-highest of any film this weekend.
Read our interview with Midway director Roland Emmerich here.
Asleep at the Wheel
Warner Bros. horror-thriller Doctor Sleep, projected to open atop the box office, actually came in second place with $14.1M..
Most pre-release projections had it in first place, around $25M, in line with the $24.5M opening for April’s fellow Stephen King novel adaptation Pet Sematary. Instead, Doctor starts -42.3% behind.
On Fire
Paramount’s comedy Playing with Fire came in a bit above expectations, with a third place debut of $12.7M. Many pre-release projections had it as low as sixth place, with around $7-8M.
I Gave You My Heart
Warner Bros.’ romantic comedy Last Christmas failed to bring the Christmas cheer, with a fourth place opening of $11.4M. Many pre-release projections had it in second place, with around $16M.
Christmas-themed movies are often released in early November, including last year’s smash The Grinch, which became the 7th-highest domestic earner of 2018. However, Last‘s poor word of mouth makes it unlikely to overcome its disappointing start during the rest of November and December.
A Dark Fate Indeed
Last weekend’s leader, Paramount’s sci-fi action sequel Terminator: Dark Fate, fell a steep -62.7% in its sophomore weekend.
That’s a sharper sophomore weekend drop than for either of its two predecessors: -48.8% for Terminator: Genisys or -61.3% for Terminator: Salvation.
Read our interview with Terminator: Dark Fate director Tim Miller here.
Harriet
Focus Features’ historical drama Harriet fared much better on its own sophomore weekend, declining only -36.5% on the strength of good buzz.
Yet that was still a sharper sophomore weekend decline than for several other comparable race-based historical dramas: -22.3% for Selma, -28.5% for Green Book, or -8.5% for Hidden Figures.
Read our interview with Harriet director Kasi Lemmons here.
Joker Nears $1B Globally
Warner Bros.’ Joker has now earned $673.0M overseas and $313.5M domestically, for $986.5M worldwide. The film will cross the 10-figure mark later this week, or next weekend at the latest — the seventh film of 2019 to do so.
But unlike the other six, all of which were considered guaranteed or likely billion-dollar films — Avengers: Endgame, The Lion King, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Captain Marvel, Toy Story 4, and Aladdin — virtually nobody predicted Joker reaching that mark.
Limited Releases
Neon’s thriller Parasite expanded to 603 theaters, its widest release to date, and rose +2.0% to $2.5M. This weekend, it became the highest-grossing foreign-language film this year, surpassing March’s Spanish-language No Manches Frida 2 with $9.2M.
Fox Searchlight’s historical comedy Jojo Rabbit expanded to 798 theaters, also its widest release to date, and rose +69.4% to $3.9M.
Well Go USA’s release of the Chinese teenage drama Better Days managed to just eclipse $1M, in only 70 theaters.
The debut of Amazon Studios’ Honey Boy posted the weekend’s best per-theater average with $75,266. That’s the fifth-best average of the year, after the openings for Parasite, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, The Farewell, and Avengers: Endgame.
How’d This Weekend Compare?
Total box office this weekend was $120.9M. That’s +4.7% above last weekend but -28.1% below this same weekend last year, when The Grinch led with $67.2M.
The Year So Far
Year-to-date box office stands at $9.45B. That’s -6.3% behind this same date last year, down from -5.5% after last weekend.
Monday’s Weekend Actuals (Domestic)
FRI, NOV. 8 – SUN, NOV. 10
| # | TITLE | WEEKEND | LOCATIONS | AVG. | TOTAL | WKS. | DIST. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Midway | $17,897,419 | — | 3,242 | — | $5,520 | $17,897,419 | 1 | Lionsgate |
| 2 | Doctor Sleep | $14,114,124 | — | 3,855 | — | $3,661 | $14,114,124 | 1 | Warner Bros. |
| 3 | Playing with Fire | $12,723,781 | — | 3,125 | — | $4,072 | $12,723,781 | 1 | Paramount Pictures |
| 4 | Last Christmas | $11,441,055 | — | 3,448 | — | $3,318 | $11,441,055 | 1 | Universal Pictures |
| 5 | Terminator: Dark Fate | $10,808,236 | -63% | 4,086 | 0 | $2,645 | $48,465,366 | 2 | Paramount |
| 6 | Joker | $9,221,303 | -32% | 2,806 | -713 | $3,286 | $313,512,810 | 6 | Warner Bros. |
| 7 | Maleficent: Mistress of Evil | $8,414,186 | -36% | 3,201 | -619 | $2,629 | $97,714,087 | 4 | Disney |
| 8 | Harriet | $7,406,790 | -37% | 2,186 | 127 | $3,388 | $23,639,930 | 2 | Focus Features |
| 9 | Zombieland: Double Tap | $4,303,498 | -42% | 2,427 | -910 | $1,773 | $66,643,981 | 4 | Sony Pictures |
| 10 | The Addams Family | $4,160,262 | -50% | 2,674 | -933 | $1,556 | $91,427,967 | 5 | United Artists Releasing |
| 11 | Countdown | $2,882,160 | -50% | 1,829 | -846 | $1,576 | $22,314,665 | 3 | STX Entertainment |
| 12 | Motherless Brooklyn | $2,170,353 | -38% | 1,342 | 0 | $1,617 | $7,327,427 | 2 | Warner Bros. |
| 13 | Black and Blue | $1,876,606 | -55% | 1,129 | -933 | $1,662 | $19,058,471 | 3 | Sony / Screen Gems |
| 15 | Arctic Dogs | $1,071,246 | -63% | 2,320 | -524 | $462 | $4,839,592 | 2 | Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures |
| # | TITLE | WEEKEND | LOCATIONS | AVG. | TOTAL | WKS. | DIST. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jojo Rabbit | $3,952,157 | 69% | 798 | 542 | $4,953 | $9,128,039 | 4 | Fox Searchlight |
| 2 | Parasite | $2,591,765 | 2% | 603 | 142 | $4,298 | $11,318,741 | 5 | NEON |
| 3 | The Lighthouse | $900,825 | -54% | 683 | -295 | $1,319 | $8,897,456 | 4 | A24 |
| 4 | Downton Abbey | $634,965 | -45% | 474 | -438 | $1,340 | $95,672,880 | 8 | Focus Features |
| 5 | Abominable | $449,920 | -58% | 406 | -731 | $1,108 | $59,213,005 | 7 | Universal Pictures |
| 6 | Gemini Man | $411,660 | -78% | 480 | -1392 | $858 | $48,030,507 | 5 | Paramount Pictures |
| 7 | Pain and Glory | $395,573 | 20% | 266 | 155 | $1,487 | $2,691,642 | 6 | Sony Pictures Classics |
| 8 | The Current War | $235,526 | -80% | 403 | -679 | $584 | $5,719,835 | 3 | 101 Studios |
| 9 | Judy | $216,906 | -62% | 246 | -358 | $882 | $23,488,614 | 7 | Roadside Attractions / LD Entertainment |
| 10 | Ad Astra | $205,553 | 1% | 248 | 111 | $829 | $49,951,498 | 8 | 20th Century Fox |
| 11 | Hustlers | $175,501 | -54% | 179 | -229 | $980 | $104,645,944 | 9 | STX Entertainment |
| 12 | The Lion King | $83,281 | -25% | 135 | -23 | $617 | $543,465,226 | 17 | Walt Disney Pictures |
| 13 | It Chapter Two | $60,737 | -73% | 126 | -250 | $482 | $211,406,417 | 10 | Warner Bros |
| 14 | Western Stars | $38,429 | -77% | 211 | -342 | $182 | $1,541,341 | 4 | Warner Bros. |
| # | TITLE | WEEKEND | LOCATIONS | AVG. | TOTAL | WKS. | DIST. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Better Days | $1,038,127 | — | 70 | — | $14,830 | $1,038,127 | 1 | Well Go USA Entertainment |
| 2 | Honey Boy | $301,065 | — | 4 | — | $75,266 | $301,065 | 1 | Amazon Studios |
| 3 | Jay & Silent Bob Reboot | $278,754 | 23% | 15 | 0 | $18,584 | $2,338,958 | 4 | Fathom Events / Saban Films |
| 4 | Housefull 4 | $126,713 | -71% | 85 | -230 | $1,491 | $2,014,283 | 3 | FIP |
| 5 | No Safe Spaces | $65,738 | 13% | 38 | 27 | $1,730 | $207,692 | 3 | Atlas Distribution |
| 6 | The Peanut Butter Falcon | $48,708 | -44% | 82 | -40 | $594 | $20,329,464 | 14 | Roadside Attractions |
| 7 | Toy Story 4 | $44,224 | -20% | 89 | -16 | $497 | $433,938,888 | 21 | Disney |
| 8 | Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice | $43,378 | -53% | 59 | -35 | $735 | $4,072,073 | 10 | Greenwich Entertainment |
| 9 | Once Upon a Time In Hollywood | $40,017 | -46% | 38 | -47 | $1,053 | $140,878,766 | 16 | Sony Pictures |
| 10 | Overcomer | $30,273 | -32% | 72 | -24 | $420 | $34,700,142 | 12 | Sony Pictures |
| 11 | The Angry Birds Movie 2 | $24,729 | -40% | 49 | -7 | $505 | $41,657,076 | 13 | Sony Pictures |
| 12 | Frankie | $23,813 | -5% | 22 | 11 | $1,082 | $85,680 | 3 | Sony Pictures Classics |
| 13 | The Kingmaker | $23,600 | — | 2 | — | $11,800 | $23,600 | 1 | Greenwich Entertainment |
| 14 | Synonyms | $17,872 | -14% | 7 | 1 | $2,553 | $101,840 | 3 | Kino Lorber |
| 15 | Rambo: Last Blood | $17,027 | -76% | 58 | -147 | $294 | $44,741,172 | 8 | Lionsgate |
| 16 | Where’s My Roy Cohn? | $16,546 | -49% | 30 | -34 | $552 | $674,629 | 8 | Sony Pictures Classics |
| 17 | My Dear Liar | $11,712 | — | 29 | — | $404 | $11,712 | 1 | CMC |
| 18 | By the Grace of God | $9,530 | 70% | 11 | 1 | $866 | $44,069 | 4 | Music Box Films |
| 19 | Cyrano, My Love | $8,584 | 266% | 18 | 12 | $477 | $343,583 | 4 | Roadside Attractions |
| 20 | The Captain | $8,247 | -79% | 5 | -11 | $1,649 | $702,899 | 4 | |
| 21 | The All-Americans | $7,805 | — | 3 | — | $2,602 | $7,805 | 1 | Abramorama |
| 22 | American Dharma | $7,152 | -2% | 3 | 2 | $2,384 | $17,421 | 2 | Utopia |
| 23 | Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins | $6,933 | -49% | 12 | -9 | $578 | $676,120 | 11 | Magnolia Pictures |
| 24 | End of the Century | $4,596 | — | 3 | — | $1,532 | $56,788 | 13 | |
| 25 | The Cave (2019) | $4,128 | -38% | 4 | 0 | $1,032 | $44,053 | 4 | National Geographic Documentary Films |
| 26 | To Be of Service | $3,577 | 88% | 1 | 0 | $3,577 | $5,961 | 2 | First Run Features |
| 27 | Miles Davis: Birth of The Cool | $2,563 | — | 3 | — | $854 | $612,275 | 12 | Abramorama |
| 28 | Crown Vic | $2,468 | — | 1 | — | $2,468 | $2,468 | 1 | Screen Media |
| 29 | 47 Meters Down: Uncaged | $2,338 | -45% | 7 | -5 | $334 | $22,260,201 | 13 | Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures |
| 30 | Give Me Liberty | $1,605 | -70% | 3 | -2 | $535 | $226,122 | 12 | Music Box Films |
| 31 | Aquarela | $1,398 | 113% | 3 | -1 | $466 | $297,663 | 13 | Sony Pictures Classics |
| 32 | A Fish in the Bathtub | $1,237 | — | 3 | — | $412 | $1,237 | 1 | Cohen Media Group |
| 33 | Maiden | $933 | 27% | 3 | -4 | $311 | $3,154,865 | 20 | Sony Pictures Classics |
| 34 | Anthropocene: The Human Epoch | $755 | 606% | 1 | 0 | $755 | $101,769 | 7 | Kino Lorber |
| 35 | Chained for Life | $584 | 587% | 2 | 1 | $292 | $15,909 | 9 | Kino Lorber Films |
| 36 | Stuffed | $442 | -79% | 1 | -2 | $442 | $8,977 | 4 | Music Box Films |
| 37 | After The Wedding | $435 | -70% | 2 | -3 | $218 | $1,573,935 | 14 | Sony Pictures Classics |
| 38 | David Crosby: Remember My Name | $264 | -82% | 2 | -2 | $132 | $729,589 | 17 | Sony Pictures Classics |
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