By Chris Kavan - 07/09/17 at 10:28 PM CT
It was the only new film opening in wide release and Spider-Man's introduction to the MCU didn't disappoint. The web-slinging superhero managed to become the third-biggest opening of 2017 thus far and (not minding inflation) the best opening for a single character opening in the MCU thus far. It was also a good week for The Big Sick, which managed to snag another great weekend in limited release ahead of its nationwide debut this coming weekend. Not to be outdone, Wonder Woman also continued its strong pace and is now on course to become the biggest movie of this summer season.
1) SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING
This was no surprise as it was inevitable that Spider-Man: Homecoming was going to win the weekend ahead of excellent reviews. While it was pacing to hit $120 million based on Friday numbers it came in just under that amount with a $117 million opening. That is still a mighty accomplishment - as stated earlier, beating out Iron Man ($98.6 million) to become the largest single-character opening in the Marvel franchise. It is also the second-best opening for any Spider-Man movie, coming in just head of the 2002 original film. Its debut is also the third best of 2017, nestled between Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 ($146.5 million) and Wonder Woman ($103.2 million). We all know how those two films have turned out - and Spider-Man: Homecoming should follow suit making the summer dominated by superheroes once again. On the international front, the film opened in 60% of its expected markets where it brought in $140 million including $25.8 million in South Korea and $11.8 million in the UK - it has yet to open in China, but rest assured, I'll keep an eye on that when it does. It will wind up with over $300 million domestic for sure, but depending on its legs, we'll see how high it gets.
2)
DESPICABLE ME 3
Gru and crew took a 53.1% hit in their second weekend out, with $34 million added it now sits at just under $150 million with $149.1 million total. It drop was comparable to Minions (57%) and The Secret Life of Pets (51%). With it nearly $300 million overseas, it has now made just under $450 million worldwide. It broke records in China with a $66 million opening - the biggest for an animated film in that market. It is expected to hit at least $250 million domestic before it ends its run and should have no problem cornering the family market for most of July.
3)
BABY DRIVER
In third place, Edgar Wright's Baby Driver had a good hold, dipping just 38% over its opening weekend to add $12.75 million to its total, which now stands at $56.8 million. It has already easily taken the crown as Wright's biggest domestic hit and now should have no problem topping Hot Fuzz ($80 million) as Wright's biggest global film as well. The original action comedy looks to have little competition until Charlize Theron drops an Atomic Blonde in theaters in a couple of weeks. Baby Driver is going to wind up at around the $80-$85 million mark by then and proves that you can have success with an original film in this day and age.
4)
WONDER WOMAN
Holding on to its fourth place spot with another remarkable hold, Wonder Woman dipped a mere 35.5% in its sixth weekend of release, adding $10.1 million to its total of $368.78 million. As stated, it is now trending ahead of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 through the same point in time and it seems it will only be a matter of time before Wonder Woman catches up, and ultimately surpasses it, to become the top movie of the summer 2017 season. Guardians 2 is currently sitting at $385.5 million and has dropped out of most theaters. Once it manages that feat, it will officially become the highest-grossing superhero film that doesn't feature Batman, Superman or Iron Man as well as topping the likes of The Secret Life of Pets, The Jungle Book, American Sniper, and Deadpool. For Time Warner, it is the third biggest film of all time for the studio, behind just Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part II ($381 million), The Dark Knight Rises ($448m) and The Dark Knight ($534.8 million). It also continues to movie up the worldwide chart, having topped The Matrix Reloaded ($742 million) and Suicide Squad ($745 million) with a $745.8 million total and rising. I expect this to stick around through July and probably even August given its reception.
5)
TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT
Transformers: The Last Knight continued its domestic freefall with a 60% third-week drop and a $6.3 million weekend for a new $118.9 million total. While it will pass $125 million, it's not looking likely that The Last Knight is going to hit $150 million and may even fall short of Michael Bay's Bad Boys II ($138 million) and The Rock ($134 million). Good thing the international audience is holding up their end of things as it brought in $18.1 million for an overseas total of $357.7 million with a worldwide total of just under $500 million. Still, it represents a worrying trend and I have a feeling any future films (reboots or not) are going to be treated a bit more gingerly.
Outside the top five: After its limited release debut, The Big Sick continued to show promise, adding 255 theaters to its count (326 total) and jumped 120.9% from 12th to 8th place in the process. It brought in $3.65 million for a new $6.9 million total and looks to make a big splash when it goes wide this upcoming weekend.
Joining The Big Sick next weekend will be War for the Planet of the Apes, which is riding a huge wave of positive reviews, along with the horror film Wish Upon.
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