Crazy Rich Asians had a crazy rich weekend. The heavily-hyped release led by a cast of Asian actors – arguably the first such film from a major studio since 1993’s The Joy Luck Club – grossed an estimated $25.2 million over the three-day period and $34 million since opening on Wednesday, bringing it in at the high end of expectations. Further down the Top 10, new wide releases Mile 22 and Alpha debuted to less impressive numbers.
After weeks of steadily-building hype for the Warner Bros. comedy, Crazy Rich Asians made good on its promise, helped in no small part by an all-encompassing media blitz, strong social media activity, and overwhelmingly positive early buzz. It also had little in the way of competition, with no other major studio comedies currently making waves at the box office. Debuting in 3,384 theaters, the film boasted a strong per-screen average of $7,457 and skewed heavily female, with women making up 68 percent of the opening weekend audience.
Based on audience exit surveys (opening day audiences gave the film an “A” Cinemascore) and strong reviews (it’s currently 92 percent “Fresh” at Rotten Tomatoes), Crazy Rich Asians could well be in for a leggy run in the weeks ahead, with positive word-of-mouth and the historic nature of the release serving to boost its prospects. Indeed, reports of individuals and organizations buying out theaters and organizing large groups to see the film have been widespread. It’s a phenomenon that certainly helped strengthen the opening weekend numbers but could also have a ripple effect going forward, as the film’s cultural importance continues to be a rallying cry for both new and repeat viewers.
Slipping to second place was last weekend’s big winner The Meg, which took in an estimated $21.1 million in its sophomore frame for a grand total of $83.7 million after ten days. That’s a 53 percent drop for the Warner Bros. shark thriller, which took industry observers by surprise when it debuted to a much better-than-expected $45.4 million last weekend. The $150 million release (co-financed by Beijing-based Gravity Pictures) is now assured a domestic gross north of $100 million, in addition to international receipts that have already topped $ million through Sunday.
Debuting in third place was STX’s Mile 22, the latest film from star Mark Wahlberg and director Peter Berg, who previously worked together on Lone Survivor, Deepwater Horizon, and Patriots Day. With an estimated $13.6 million, the film improved on the wide opening of Patriots Day ($11.6 million) but came in significantly lower than both Deepwater Horizon ($20.2 million) and Lone Survivor ($37.8 million). Audiences gave this one a “B-” Cinemascore but it was less-beloved by critics, who largely panned it (the Rotten Tomatoes score is 20%). The audience breakdown was heavily male (60%) and skewed older, with 73% over the age of 25.
Compared to other recent male-driven releases, Mile 22 took in less than last year’s Tom Cruise vehicle American Made ($16.8 million) and the Gerard Butler actioner Den of Thieves ($15.2 million), though it did come in a tick higher Death Wish, the revenge reboot starring Bruce Willis that debuted to $13 million back in March. On the plus side, the film’s reported budget is a relatively modest $35 million.
The next two films on the list, Mission: Impossible – Fallout and Alpha, came in neck and neck this weekend.
The late-summer blockbuster Mission: Impossible – Fallout dipped about 45 percent to an estimated $10.5 million in its fourth weekend of play. That gives the Tom Cruise franchise entry an impressive $180.7 million thus far, putting it just a hair below the first Mission: Impossible‘s $180.9 million final gross back in 1996 and giving it a decent shot of topping Mission: Impossible II‘s $215.4 million cume when all is said and done. Not adjusting for inflation, that would make it the highest-grossing installment of the franchise to date.
Also taking an estimated $10.5 million was Sony’s Alpha, which debuted slightly better than projected. The Sony historical action/drama boasts a good “B+” Cinemascore and an 84 percent “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which could have helped push it a bit higher this weekend.
Alpha‘s prehistoric setting, subtitled dialogue (the characters speak in an unidentifiable language), and lack of marquee actors (it stars the X-Men franchise’s Kodi-Smith McPhee) were always going to make this film a difficult sell for mainstream audiences, so it could be counted as a small victory that it debuted as high as it did. The last time we saw a major action film set in prehistoric times was 2008’s 10,000 BC, but that title benefitted from the name value of Independence Day director Roland Emmerich and a tentpole-style marketing campaign. It debuted with $35.8 million and finished with $94.7 million domestically.
In sixth place is Disney’s Christopher Robin, which dipped just 32 percent to an estimated $8.9 million in weekend three. The family release now has $66.9 million after 17 days, which puts it 18 percent ahead of Pete’s Dragon by the same point ($54.8 million) and 25 percent ahead of Paddington ($50.3 million). The budget on the film is unknown, though some reports put it in the $70 million range.
Finishing in seventh in its sophomore frame was BlacKkKlansman, which took in an estimated $7 million this weekend. That’s a drop of 35 percent for the acclaimed Spike Lee film, which added nearly 300 theaters after debuting to $10.8 million last weekend. The Focus release now has a good $23 million after ten days, which already puts in sixth place on the list of Lee’s top-grossing films of all time domestically, just behind Do the Right Thing ($27.5 million) and just ahead of He Got Game ($21.5 million) not adjusting for inflation.
Last weekend’s teen-driven horror film Slender Man dropped to eighth place in its sophomore frame, grossing $4.9 million for a total of $20.7 million domestically. That’s a fairly steep drop from its $11.3 million debut last weekend but not an unexpected one, as these types of horror releases are generally heavily frontloaded and tend to fade quickly.
Rounding out the Top 10, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation took in an estimated $3.6 million in its seventh frame for a cume of $153.8 million domestically, while Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again finished in tenth place with an estimated $3.4 million in its fifth weekend and $111.2 million to date.
The post Studio Weekend Estimates: ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Pops w/ $25.2M 3-Day, $34M 5-Day; ‘Mile 22’ Smuggles $13.6M appeared first on BoxOffice Pro.
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