Last week’s box office winner Deadpool has topped the charts once again – snagging another $55 million in its second weekend.
Starring Ryan Reynolds as the wisecracking superhero, the raunchy comic-book film has accumulated $235.4 million domestically thus far, making it the sixth highest-grossing R-rated film ever. Deadpool has surpassed the box office totals of other Marvel films including Fantastic Four ($56.1 million), Ant-Man ($180.2 million) and X-Men: Days of Future Past ($233.9 million).
“This is a movie that’s on everyone’s mind,” says comScore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “Everyone is trying to figure this movie out. I don’t think anyone expected it to be a blockbuster of this magnitude. Any newcomer to even debut with $55 million in late February is a total winner.”
Finishing in second place at the box office is Jack Black’s strong holdover Kung Fu Panda 3 with $12.5 million in its fourth weekend. The animated family film has accumulated $117.1 million domestically, trailing behind its predecessors Kung Fu Panda ($215.4 million) and Kung Fu Panda 2 ($165.2 million).
Two weekend newcomers that have exceeded expectations include Sony’s faith-based drama Risen and A24 Films’ The Witch, which landed in third and fourth place at the box office, respectively.
Risen, starring Joseph Fiennes as a Roman military officer investigating Jesus’ death, debuted with $11.8 million from 2,915 locations. Moviegoers gave the biblical thriller an A-minus CinemaScore, while critics gave it a not-so-favorable 59 percent “fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes.
“This is in our wheelhouse,” said Rory Bruer, Sony’s distribution chief. “We’ve really embraced being in the faith-based business and it’s certainly paid off.”
Following right behind on the charts is Sundance Film Festival’s horror entry The Witch with $8.7 million from 2,046 locations. The film received a C-minus CinemaScore from moviegoers and an 88 percent “fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes from critics.
“Faith-based and horror genre films are always going to find an audience,” Dergarabedian says. Made for a reported $1 million (The Witch) and $20 million (Risen), both movies are almost guaranteed to be profitable. “If you don’t break the budget, you can always make your money back.”
Rounding out the top five at the box office is How To Be Single with $8.2 million in its second week out. The R-rated comedy, starring Dakota Johnson, Rebel Wilson and Leslie Mann, has gathered $31.8 million domestically since its debut.
Falling in sixth place is Focus Features’ biopic about Olympian Jesse Owens, Race, starring Stephan James. The historical drama – debuting with $7.3 million from 2,369 locations – received an A CinemaScore from moviegoers and a 61 percent “fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes from critics.
Top 10 Films at Weekend Box Office: February 19-21
- Deadpool — $55.0 million
- Kung Fu Panda 3 — $12.5 million
- Risen — $11.8 million
- The Witch — $8.7 million
- How To Be Single — $8.2 million
- Race — $7.3 million
- Zoolander 2 — $5.5 million
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens — $3.84 million
- The Revenant — $3.8 million
- Hail, Caesar! — $2.6 million
