The third film in the How to Train Your Dragon series, The Hidden World, took the No. 1 spot at the domestic box office for the second consecutive weekend, selling another $30 million, upping the film’s 10-day sales total to just under $98 million. Add in foreign sales and The Hidden World has already sold almost $400 million.
I had read that Dragon was intended to be a trilogy, but with this incredible level of success, I think we can plan on there being more How to Train Your Dragon films ahead.
Also at the box
Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral opened big, taking the No. 2 spot at last weekend’s domestic box office with $27 million in sales. How long will this Tyler Perry thing go on? That now makes 20 films Perry has written, directed and often acted in since 2006.
The films, which average about $50 million in box office sales apiece, have all received negative reviews. But the fans keep showing up. Will Perry age out at some point, or will his whimsical, populist humor transcend generations and live on for another 20 films? Imagine that, 40 Tyler Perry films.
Moving on, Robert Rodriguez’s new film, Alita: Battle Angel, took the No. 3 spot over its third weekend of release, selling another $7 million, upping the film’s domestic sales total to $72 million. Add in about $280 million in foreign sales and this $170 million film will be considered a success. That’s good for Rodriguez, who is a great filmmaker who hasn’t had a hit since he made Sin City 15 years ago. Doesn’t hurt that Alita was written and produced by James Cameron.
The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part (great title, guys!) took the No. 4 spot at the box with $6.6 million in sales while Best Picture winner Green Book rounded out the Top 5 with $4.7 million in sales, upping the flick’s worldwide sales total to $188 million (against a $23 million budget).
Also of note
Fighting with My Family continued to bomb, selling another $4.6 million while playing on almost 3,000 screens, bringing the film’s three-weekend sales total to just under $15 million. Oof.
New this Week
This weekend is all about one movie, Captain Marvel, starring Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Jude Law, Clark Gregg, and Djimon Hounsou and directed by ScreenTime favorites Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden (Half Nelson).
It’s no secret that I’m not a superhero or Marvel fan, but I really like this cast and and these filmmakers, so I’d be perfectly happy with this film doing well. I guess.
Mostly, this will be a star-making moment for Larson, who has been building up to America’s Sweetheart status for the better part of the last decade.
Also worthy of note is the NYC/LA release of A24’s new film, Gloria Bell. Directed by Sebasian Lelio (A Fantastic Woman, The Sacred Family), the film stars Julianne Moore in a performance that is getting her a whole lot of attention. Sean Astin, John Turturro, Jeanne Tripplehorn, and Michael Cera also star.