By Chris Kavan - 09/16/18 at 10:20 PM CT
While The Predator topped the box office over the weekend, hold that celebratory glass of champagne. It turns out that you can both win and lose because topping the box office wasn't enough to avoid an ignoble distinction for the bloody sci-fi action film. Meanwhile, A Simple Favor opened with flair while White Boy Rick was more quiet and Unbroken: Path to Redemption could barely crack the top 10. Milestones galore to talk about as well, so let's get to the good stuff.
1) THE PREDATOR
Those hoping that nostalgia and interest would drown out the recent scandals plaguing The Predator didn't get what they wanted. Yet, the film topped the box office, but with just a $24 million opening, the film now has the distinction of being the lowest opening for a live-action film debuting in 4000 or more theaters. The previous record belonged to Tom Cruise's The Mummy ($31.6 million), a record I'm sure the actor is more than happy to hand off. That is a lower opening than Predators ($24.7 million) back in 2010 as well as well under the $36 million opening for Alien: Covenant. Audiences didn't seem that interested in a new Predator film, either, giving it a weak "C+" Cinemascore. The breakdown was mostly male (62%) with 66% coming in 25 or older. The demo breakdown matches the one for Alien: Covenant and if The Predator follows a similar path, it's looking at a total gross of right around $50 million. That's quite worrying for a film that cost $88 million, and even with $30.7 million overseas, this one might struggle to make a profit in the long run and I have a feeling any hopes for a new franchise have gone right out the window.
2)
THE NUN
Last week The Nun set a Conjuring franchise record with its opening. This weekend, it set a new record, though not one the studio is likely to be as happy to advertise. With a 66% second weekend drop, The Nun has the biggest second week drop out of any of The Conjuring films, bigger than the 63% drop of The Conjuring 2. Still, with $18.2 million over the weekend, The Nun now has a tidy $85 million domestic total while its worldwide total of $228 million is fast approaching the $256 million of Annabelle and will likely top $300 million by the time it is done. All this on a mere $22 million budget makes The Nun a surefire hit, no matter how much it dropped in its second weekend, and sets a good precedence for the upcoming Conjuring films.
3)
A SIMPLE FAVOR
Paul Fieg stepped out of his comedic comfort zone with this Anna Kendrick/Blake Lively R-rated crime-mystery, and it seems to have paid off. A Simple Favor landed in third with a fine $16 million debut. The film scored with critics and audiences agreed, awarding it a "B+" Cinemascore. The $20 million film struck a chord with the female crowd and, if it can continue to play well with that audience, one could expect this film to have decent legs in the coming month. The big question remains, however, if it will be enough to power it just to around $30 million or if it can really score and hit $40 or even $50 million in the long run. It depends on the women and with a strong cast I don't see why it won't play well.
4)
WHITE BOY RICK
The nearly too-crazy-to-be-true crime drama about a teen FBI informant turned drug kingpin couldn't resonate that well with audiences, even with Matthew McConaughey to help things along. White Boy Rick had to settle for a disappointing $8.8 million opening, the mediocre debut lining up with a likewise "B" Cinemascore from audiences. If the film plays out to similar to Free State of Jones (another under-performing title from McConaughey), then it might make it to $25 million - but it won't help much considering the film's $30 million price tag. All in all, White Boy Rick might be a solid choice for home viewing, but it's not going to make much more of an impact in theaters.
5)
CRAZY RICH ASIANS
Rounding out the top five this week, Crazy Rich Asians dipped just under 34%, adding $8.7 million to its total, which sits just under $150 million with $149.55 million (Monday actuals could sent it over the top). Earning five times your budget on domestic alone is a huge accomplishment, let's just add $38 million overseas for good measure (as the film is still slowly expanding). In any case, Warner Bros. might be better off scaling back on the DC films and making more movies like Crazy Rich Asians (or The Meg or The Nun) - let Disney do the superhero thing, if Warner Bros. can continue to line up these kind of hits, they may not need to worry.
Outside the top five: Unbroken: Path to Redemption, a sequel in name only, landed in 9th place with $2.35 million. With a completely different cast and its faith-based direction, I can't say I'm sorry about it.
Big milestone news for Tom Cruise, as Mission: Impossible - Fallout hit $2.31 million over the weekend (10th place) and a new $216.13 million, officially making it the highest-grossing film in the franchise and, with $760 million worldwide, a global sensation as well.
In other milestone news, both The Meg and Hotel Transylvania 3 topped the $500 million worldwide mark with The Meg sitting at $505 million ($137 domestic) and Hotel Transylvania 3 at $503 million ($165.2 million domestic).
Next week brings us the fantasy The House with a Clock in Its Walls, the drama Life Itself and Michael Moore's latest documentary Fahrenheit 11/9.
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