Perhaps fueled by its victory at the Golden Globes last weekend, the wide release of ‘1917’ soared to the top at the box office earning $36.5M. In fact, this war flick, from Universal was the #1 movie in the world, earning $60.4M total. Should it land an Academy Award nomination on Monday, expect its performance could potentially grow even stronger. Audiences are favorable, giving it an A- CinemaScore and 4½ out of 5 stars through PostTrak.
Also opening wide after a limited release was the crime drama ‘Just Mercy’ starring Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx. That landed on the opposite end of the Top Five at #5, taking in $9.87M. Audiences are showering this with love– A+ CinemaScore and 4½ out of 5 stars through PostTrak. Like ‘1917’, it could do better if it gets a nomination for the Academy Awards.
‘Just Mercy’ was narrowly beaten by new comedy release ‘Like A Boss’, which earned $9.99M. Audiences don’t seem to love this picture, which stars Tiffany Haddish, Rose Byrne, and Salma Hayak. They only gave it three stars and a B CinemaScore. (That was an improvement, as it only averaged 2½ stars from preview audiences.) Critics also panned it, with a lousy RT ranking of 21%.
Both of these new-ish films opened behind both ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ and ‘Jumanji: The Next Level’ which are still holding up well in the post-holidays landscape.
TOP FIVE
- 1917 (Amblin/Universal) – $36.5M
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Disney) – $15.05M
- Jumanji: The Next Level (Sony) – $14M
- Like A Boss (Paramount) – $9.99M
- Just Mercy (Warner Brothers) – $9.87M
Failing to make an impact was the thriller ‘Underwater’ starring Kristen Stewart, who has once again failed to make a comeback following last year’s dismal ‘Charlie’s Angels’. This flick only made $7M and landed at the #7 spot.
Two high-profile pics are opening next weekend, ‘Dolittle’ starring Robert Downey Jr., and ‘Bad Boys for Life’ reuniting Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. Check back to see if either can take the top spot!
