Following a successful four-week run at No.1, Star Wars: The Force Awakens has relinquished its throne to Ride Along 2, which debuted with $34 million over three days (and an estimated $39.5 million over four Days) over the Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend.
“It’s inevitable — no movie can stay No 1 forever,” Rentrak senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian says. “There are no tears being shed over at Disney. They rewrote the record books with Star Wars.”
The Force Awakens took in $25.1 million over three days and $31 million over four, landing in third place on the charts. Since its mid-December debut, the sci-fi blockbuster has now accumulated $851 million and nearly $1.9 billion worldwide – making it the third-highest grossing film ever behind Avatar ($2.8 billion) and Titanic ($2.2 billion).
“Avatar is a billion dollars away — that’s a lot of box office,” Dergarabedian says. It should easily enter the $2 billion club, “but where it ends up in that very rarefied air remains to be seen. The most impressive thing is the speed at which it’s broken these records.”
Box office newcomer and champion Ride Along 2, starring Ice Cube and Kevin Hart, opened below its predecessor ($41.5 million over three days and $48.6 million over four) and box office projections. Audience members, who were 52 percent female, gave the comedy sequel a B plus CinemaScore, while critics were not as fond of it, giving it a dismal 14 percent “fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes.
“It’s a very funny movie,” said Nick Carpou, Universal’s domestic distribution chief. “We have a very committed group of filmmakers and our cast has been promoting the heck out of it.”
Meanwhile, finishing in second place at the box office is Fox’s The Revenant with $29.5 million. It’s expected to earn about $35 million over four days. The wilderness survival film earned multiple Golden Globe Awards last weekend, including best actor in a drama (Leonardo DiCaprio), director (Alejandro González Iñárritu) and movie drama. Revenant has exceeded all expectations since its debut, accumulating $87.7 million thus far.
“There’s no question that it’s going to ride this wave of awards season buzz — the momentum is just building,” Dergarabedian says. “Oscar nominations are never a bad thing, and for those that may be on the fence about seeing the movie, 12 nominations is a pretty healthy motivator.”
Paramount’s 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, directed by Michael Bay, launched with $16 million across 2,389 locations in fourth place. Starring John Krasinski, 13 Hours follows six former military operators during the 2012 terrorist attack on an American diplomatic compound in Libya. It earned an A CinemaScore.
“We feel it’s going to continue to be a topic of conversation and debate,” said Rob Moore, Paramount’s vice-chairman. “We think it will be a movie that’s going to be around for awhile.”
Rounding out the top five is Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg’s Daddy’s Home, still strong with $9.3 million in fifth place. The comedy has gathered $129.3 million to date and is expected to earn $11.4 million over the four days.
The final newcomer for the weekend includes Lionsgate’s Norm of the North, which debuted with $6.7 million from 2,411 locations for a sixth place finish. The animated film, about a polar bear who is displaced from his Arctic home and makes his way to NYC, should finish with $8.8 million over the four-day span. Starring Rob Schneider and Heather Graham, the animated comedy earned a B minus CinemaScore from moviegoers.
Top 10 Films at Weekend Box Office: January 15-17
- Ride Along 2 — $34 million
- The Revenant — $29.5 million
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens — $25.1 million
- 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi — $16 million
- Daddy’s Home — $9.3 million
- Norm of the North — $6.7 million
- The Forest — $5.7 million
- The Big Short — $5,2 million
- Sisters — $4.42 million
- The Hateful Eight — $3.45 million
