Box Office Report For October 18-20

Welcome back one and all to the weekly box office report! As is always the case, each and every Sunday you can expect a look at what made the most money in theaters, as well as just how all of the new releases fared. This week, Angelina Jolie returns as a classic Disney villain in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, in addition to a long in the making sequel with Zombieland: Double Tap. Those two new releases are going up against another week of Joker for top honors. How did they do? What about the second week for Parasite? Maybe you’re curious about platform release starts for Jojo Rabbit or The Lighthouse? We’ve got you covered! Read on to see how the weekend turned out…

Opening at number one and taking the top spot was Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, though not with the huge haul that Disney had to have been hoping for. An estimated $36 million isn’t bad, but considering the large price tag, star power on hand, and the fact that the studio moved this one up almost a year (a sign of confidence), this has to be disappointing. Unless there’s tremendous legs in the weeks to come, this franchise for Angelina Jolie may be done, two installments in.

Coming in at number two was the prior champ in Joker. Taking in another $29.2 million, this re-imagining of the classic Batman villain is a bonafide smash hit for Warner Bros. On a $55 million budget, it’s about to break $250 million domestically, with more than $300 an easy target before all is said and done. Next up? The awards season…

Third place went to Zombieland: Double Tap, which managed a solid $26.7 million. This film could have gone either way, money wise, but decent reviews helped assure fans of the first one that this was up to snuff. It may drop a lot in the weeks to come, but capturing its $42 million budget shouldn’t be an issue.

Parasite continued to put up some tremendous numbers in only a handful of theaters. 33 screens translated into a sensational $1.2 million for the foreign flick. A surefire Oscar contender, audiences, at least in the independent realm, are flocking to this one. As it expands in the coming weeks, Neon should expect this masterpiece to become a crossover success, as mainstream audiences discover it for themselves.

Among indie/limited release titles, three really stood out. The first was The Lighthouse, which played on eight screens and nearly made 420K. A24 is rolling this Willem Dafoe/Robert Pattinson vehicle out slowly, and that’s smart. It’s not nearly as accessible as their other, still hard sell horror titles, so this is a good play on their part.

Then, there’s Jojo Rabbit. The potential Academy Award darling only started life on five screens this week, but still managed an estimated 350K. Taika Waititi’s satire should expand quickly, as Fox Searchlight wants to get mainstream viewers behind this one as a Best Picture player. Stay tuned there…

Finally, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot took in just over $1 million from a two night only Fathom Events release. Kevin Smith is taking his sequel out on the road for a Roadshow release in the weeks and months to come, so expect that number to grow!

Here now is what the (estimated) top ten looked like at the box office for this weekend:

1. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil – $36,000,000

2. Joker – $29,205,000

3. Zombieland: Double Tap – $26,725,000

4. The Addams Family – $16,057,007

5. Gemini Man – $8,500,000

6. Abominable – $3,500,000

7. Downton Abbey – $3,080,000

8. Judy – $2,055,975

9. Hustlers – $2,050,000

10. It: Chapter Two – $1,505,000

Beyond the top ten, here’s some further results at the box office:

11. Parasite – $1,241,334

12. Jexi – $1,215,000

13. Jay and Silent Bob Reboot – $1,011,305

14. Ad Astra – $838,000

15. Rambo: Last Blood – $560,000

16. Pain and Glory – $463,532

17. The Lighthouse – $419,764

18. Jojo Rabbit – $350,000

19. The Lion King – $300,000

20. The Peanut Butter Falcon – $225,950

21. Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice – $188,253

22. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark – $150,000

23. Good Boys – $106,000

24. Toy Story 4 – $97,000

25. Where’s My Roy Cohn? – $96,513

26. Dora and the Lost City of Gold – $92,000

27. Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw – $90,000

28. Angel Has Fallen – $90,000

29. Lucy in the Sky – $58,000

30. The Art of Racing in the Rain – $38,000

Until next weekend!