Warner Bros.’ Joker continued laughing all the way to the bank this weekend, with the polarizing comic-book thriller repeating in the top slot with an estimated $55 million—enough to not only break Gravity’s $43.2 million record for best second weekend in the month of October but to easily triumph over a trio of new wide releases in The Addams Family, Gemini Man and Jexi. Of those, Addams Family proved to be the major breakout, while Gemini Man debuted to underwhelming results and the little-promoted Jexi was all but ignored.
Despite being the subject of furious controversy and mixed critical reviews, Joker demonstrated very strong legs in its sophomore frame, dipping just 43% from its October-record $96.2 million opening. That’s far better than the 56% second-weekend drop for last year’s Venom, which previously held the October opening record with $80.2 million, defying many predictions that Joker would be a front-loaded affair. Indeed, the film’s 90% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes suggests positive word-of-mouth—not to mention sheer curiosity arising from the controversy—will likely continue to fuel strong holds in the weeks ahead. With a sizzling $192.7 million to date, Joker has become one of the fall season’s out-and-out blockbusters.
Debuting strongly in second place was United Artists Releasing’s The Addams Family, which rose past expectations to open with a robust $30.3 million from 4,007 locations. Despite a poor showing with critics (it has just 44% on Rotten Tomatoes), the 3D animated update of the classic TV show and its previous live-action theatrical adaptations took advantage of a relatively light market for family-friendly fare and a prime pre-Halloween release date. It was also powered by strong brand recognition spanning multiple generations—giving parents greater motivation to see it with their kids—while premium 3D showings helped boost its opening take significantly. As a result, it debuted higher than other recent dark-hued PG-rated fare including 2015’s Goosebumps ($26.3 million) and last year’s The House With a Clock in Its Walls ($26.6 million).
In third place, Paramount’s Gemini Man opened to a relatively weak $20.5 million from 3,642 locations, a start that pales in comparison to its $138 million budget. Starring Will Smith as a hitman being hunted down by a younger clone of himself, the sci-fi/actioner directed by Ang Lee has received a lot of press around its groundbreaking visual effects, but poor reviews (it’s at just 26% on Rotten Tomatoes) and competition with Joker for adult male audiences put a dent in its performance this weekend. Though Smith rebounded with this summer’s blockbuster live-action Aladdin remake, Gemini Man’s opening take is relatively weak in the scheme of his action titles, even falling below the $27.5 million opening take of the poorly-received After Earth back in 2013. The star’s continued strong appeal with overseas audiences may help put some of the sting out of its relatively weak Stateside performance.
Fourth place went to Universal’s Abominable, which dipped 48% to an estimated $6.1 million in its third weekend of release. That brings the domestic total for the $75 million animated adventure to $47.9 million so far.
Downton Abbey continued strong this weekend with an estimated $4.9 million in fifth place, bringing the Focus release to an excellent $82.7 million after four weeks of release. This week it will surpass 2005’s Brokeback Mountain ($83 million) to become the studio’s highest-grossing release of all time not adjusting for inflation.
Hustlers continued strong in sixth place with an estimated $3.8 million, lifting the critically-acclaimed STX title to a fantastic $98 million through the end of its fifth weekend. Look for the crime drama to surpass $100 million by next weekend, becoming only the third title in STX history to do so after Bad Moms ($113.2 million) and The Upside ($108.2 million).
In seventh place, Warner Bros.’ It Chapter Two added an estimated $3.2 million to its tally, lifting the horror sequel to $207.1 million through the end of its second weekend.
More to come…
The post Studio Weekend Estimates: <em>Joker</em> Scores Another October Record w/ $55M Sophomore Frame; <em>Addams Family</em> Breaks Out w/ $30.3M While <em>Gemini Man</em> Underwhelms w/ $20.5M appeared first on Boxoffice.
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