This weekend at the box office was a rough one. Midway won the top spot in its opening with just $17.5 million domestically. It has yet to open in any major international markets as it sits at a lethargic $18.1 million globally right now. But, its poor opening here, mixed with lackluster reviews from critics, and a lack of interest in this film outside the States means it’ll take a herculean effort for this film to come close to sniffing its reported budget of $100 million.
In second, Doctor Sleep is in a similarly rough spot as it opened to just $14 million in the U.S. International markets came to the rescue of this one though to the tune of $20 million, bringing its global total just shy of $35 million currently. And sure, its $45 million budget is well within reach compared to Midway but, middling reviews and a bonkers slate of upcoming movies are doing the latest Stephen King adaptation any favors.
In third is one of the two films to open this week that might actually be in a good spot. Playing With Fire opened to just $12.8 million in the United States. Add in the global markets and the film is up to just $15 million worldwide. However, with a reported budget of just $30 million and solid star power (in the form of John Cena, Keegan-Michael Key, and John Leguizamo) there’s a good chance this film at least breaks even. Especially since family films tend to get a boost at the box office around the holidays. But, a bad second week would all but bury Play With Fire so, check back in next week.
Rounding out the top five are two films in two very different positions. First, in fourth, Last Christmas made just $11.6 million in its opening in the States, $14.5 million overall. However, with a budget of just $25 million and a UK release slated for November 15th, it’s nowhere near its peak quite yet. Oh, and there’s still 6 weeks until Christmas, meaning this film will likely be floating around the top 5 for a while. In fifth, however, Terminator: Dark Fate is, well, terminated. It added another $10 million domestically to bump its total here to just $48 million. International markets have done the heavy lifting as the film’s topped it’s $185 million budget with $199 million worldwide. But, there’s just not enough left in the tank for this film to turn anything even close to resembling a respectable profit.
Just outside the top five, Joker added another $9.2 million domestically, pushing its stateside haul up to $313 million. Outside the U.S., the film is outperforming even the highest expectations with a whopping $673 million. All-in, the film currently sits at $986 million worldwide, just $14 million away from becoming the first R-rated feature to make $1 billion at the box office. And, even with a massive slate of movies releasing in the next few weeks, it’ll likely break $1 billion before the end of the year, if not the end of the month.
Here’s a full look at the top ten movies at the box office from this weekend:
1. Midway – $17.5 million, $17.5 million
2. Doctor Sleep – $14.1 million, $14.1 million
3. Playing With Fire – $12.8 million, $12.8 million
4. Last Christmas – $11.6 million, $11.6 million
5. Terminator: Dark Fate – $10.8 million, $48.4 million
6. Joker – $9.2 million, $313 million
7. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil – $8 million, $97.3 million
8. Harriet – $7.2 million, $23.4 million
9. Zombieland: Double Tap – $4.3 million, $66.6 million
10. The Addams Family – $4.2 million, $91.4 million
Domestic totals in bold.
Box office numbers courtesy of Box Office Mojo.
Check out last week’s box office totals here.
