Crazy Rich Asians continued its phenomenal run at the box office over the Labor Day weekend, cashing in with an estimated $22.2 million over the three-day period to capture first place for the third weekend in a row. Newcomer Operation Finale, meanwhile, debuted reasonably well in third place, while the buzzed-about thriller Searching enjoyed a healthy expansion.
Adding over 300 screens in its third frame, Crazy Rich Asians continued to live up to its title, easing a scant 10 percent weekend-to-weekend after enjoying a tiny 6.4 percent dip last frame. That gives the smash hit Warner Bros. rom-com an incredible $110.9 million to date, exceeding basically every expectation. We haven’t seen a performance like this in the rom com genre since 2004’s My Big Fat Greek Wedding, though that film’s release pattern differed greatly as it opened much more quietly in only a handful of theaters before slowly expanding week to week, ultimately topping out at 2,016 locations.
Still, the two films are comparable in that positive word-of-mouth and repeat business lifted both to heights that no one could have predicted. It’s doubtful that Crazy Rich Asians can sustain the kind of momentum that Greek Wedding did given how different the theatrical marketplace is versus 2004 (the latter played in theaters for a full year), but then again, its performance has consistently defied expectations and there’s no reason to think that it won’t continue to do so as we move into the fall.
Coming in second for the third weekend in a row is The Meg, another surprise late-summer hit of a completely different variety. The shark thriller boasted another strong hold in weekend number four, dipping just 18 percent to $10.5 million over the Friday-to-Sunday frame. The Warner Bros. release now has a very good $120.5 million in the tank, though of course it’s taken in three times as much internationally, giving it a global total well north of $400 million.
In third place, freshman release Operation Finale took in an estimated $6 million over the Friday-to-Sunday frame, which gives it a per-screen average of $3,300 from over 1,800 locations. That’s an okay start for the MGM release, which stars Oscar Isaac as a Mossad agent tasked with tracking down Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann (Ben Kingsley) in Argentina. Reviews were mixed for the historical drama, though audiences liked it much better, with opening day audiences awarding it an “A-” Cinemascore. When adding in Wednesday and Thursday grosses, Finale‘s estimated total is $7.7 million through Sunday.
Coming in fourth place in its sixth weekend, Mission: Impossible – Fallout crossed the $200 million mark with an estimated $7 million through Sunday and a studio-projected $9 million four-day. That would give the Tom Cruise franchise installment an excellent $206.3 million total through Monday, bringing it ever closer to topping both Ghost Protocol‘s $209.3 million final and Mission: Impossible II‘s $215.4 million. Once it surpasses the latter, Fallout will officially become the highest-grossing M:I installment ever in North America not adjusting for inflation.
After enjoying a strong limited opening in nine locations last weekend, Sony/Screen Gems’ Searching expanded to over 1,200 screens and brought in an estimated $5.7 million through Sunday and a studio-projected $7 million through Monday in fifth place, which surpassed expectations going into the weekend. The John Cho thriller has benefitted from positive buzz, a compelling marketing campaign and a unique visual conceit. Its estimated total through Monday is $7.5 million.
Sixth place went to BlacKkKlansman, which took in an estimated $5.2 million through Sunday. With $39.4 million so far, the politically-charged film is now the third highest-grossing Spike Lee release ever not adjusting for inflation, having surpassed The Original Kings of Comedy‘s $38.1 million total this weekend.
Also holding well this weekend was Disney’s Christopher Robin, which brought in an estimated $5 million three-day and a studio-projected $6.5 million four-day in seventh place. That represents another strong hold for the family release, which dipped just 19 percent from the last Friday-Sunday frame. Its estimated total through Monday is $86.9 million.
Eighth place went to STX’s The Happytime Murders, which took in an estimated $4.4 million Friday-Sunday, while the studio is projecting $5.5 million through Monday. The R-rated Melissa McCarthy Muppet comedy fell rather sharply from its disappointing $9.5 million debut last weekend, and it’s currently on track to become McCarthy’s lowest-grossing starring vehicle to date. Its projected total through Monday is $18.1 million.
Tying for eighth place over the Friday-Sunday frame is Sony/Studio 8’s Alpha, which brought in $4.4 million through Sunday and a studio-projected $5.8 million through Monday. That would bring its total to $28.6 million after three weeks. Meanwhile, STX’s Mile 22 finished in tenth with an estimated $3.5 million three-day and a studio-projected $4.5 million four-day, bringing its estimated total to $32.7 million.
Debuting outside the Top 10 was Lionsgate’s Kin, which brought in an estimated $3 million through Sunday and $3.7 million through Monday, according to studio projections. With a wide release on 2,141 screens, that represents a per-theater average of just $1,400 for the Friday-Sunday period. The youth-skewing sci-fi actioner seems to have suffered somewhat from a glut of same-y product in theaters as of late, including The Darkest Minds and last weekend’s A.X.L.
Also of note this weekend was Disney-Pixar’s Incredibles 2, which crossed the $600 million mark after bringing in an estimated $3.2 million domestically over the Friday-Sunday period (and a studio-projected $4.4 million through Monday). That makes it the first animated film ever to cross that threshold in North America and only the ninth film overall. Its domestic total is projected to be $602.2 million through Monday.
Limited Release:
Opening on 369 screens this weekend was the Spanish-language dramedy Ya Veremos, which brought in an estimated $1.8 million through Sunday, while the studio is estimating $2.2 million through Monday. That gives the Lionsgate/Pantelion release (which is the highest-grossing Mexican film to be released in Mexico so far this year) a decent per-screen average of $4,880. Pantelion has successfully released a number of Spanish-language movies over the Labor Day frame, including 2013’s Instructions Not Included, which ultimately became the highest-grossing Spanish-language release ever in North America with a total of $44.4 million.
Sony Classics’ critically acclaimed The Wife expanded to 78 locations in its third weekend of limited release and made off with $524K through Sunday, giving it a decent per-screen average of $6,724. The drama has taken in just over $1 million to date.
Overseas Update:
Mission: Impossible – Fallout had a sizzling debut in China over the weekend, where it brought in an impressive $77.3 million. That’s the highest debut ever for the M:I franchise in the country as well as the best opening for a film starring Tom Cruise. Its international cume now stands at $442.7 and its global total is $649 million.
After opening to $68 million in China last weekend, Ant-Man and the Wasp brought in an estimated $11.3 million in weekend number two. That brings its total to $108.6 million in the country. The MCU title also opened in its final international market, Japan, this weekend, and grossed an estimated $3.7 million there.
The Meg brought in an estimated $17.7 million in 66 international territories this weekend, bringing its international gross to $342.3 million and its global cume to $462.8 million. That total includes a whopping $150.9 million in China.
The post Studio Weekend Estimates: ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Dips Just 10.4 Percent to $22.M 3-Day; ‘Operation Finale’ Captures $6M; ‘Searching’ Finds $5.7M appeared first on BoxOffice Pro.
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