‘Kong: Skull Island’ Opens Larger than Previous ‘Kong’ Films
Kong is once again king of the box office this weekend. Kong: Skull Island, starring Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson, opened to an estimated $61 million.
Kong: Skull Island found itself in a difficult spot sandwiched in between Logan and Beauty and the Beast. Regardless, Warner Bros.’ second chapter of its MonsterVerse can claim to be the biggest Kong film to date. Peter Jackson’s 2005 film debuted to $50.1 million. Granted, King Kong did open on a Wednesday a week before Christmas too. Kong: Skull Island, however, could still find itself north of $200 million if it’s able to hold against the likes of Beauty and the Beast and Power Rangers. Audiences primarily seems to like Kong: Skull Island. The film received a B+ on CinemaScore.
After dethroning 300’s decade-old record last weekend, Logan dropped one spot to second place. The Wolverine finale declined 57.2% in its sophomore frame, pulling in $37.9 million. That’s on par with X-Men (-56.9%), and X-Men: First Class (-56.2%). $200 million is a given at this point for Fox’s latest blockbuster. But with Beauty and the Beast laying claim to box office dominance next weekend, a leggier run may be more difficult to muster. Right now, Logan is just a few million ahead of X2. Though summer dailies give the 2003 sequel the advantage in the long run.
Jordan Peele’s Get Out continues to surprise audiences and pundits with its leggy run. Down 25.4%, Get Out brought in another $21.1 million. That’s the second-best third weekend for a horror or thriller just behind 1999’s The Sixth Sense ($24 million). Also to note, with the exception of Puss in Boots, Shark Tale and Monster vs. Aliens, every film over $21 million in this weekend has passed $200 million. Get Out may be first live-action film to fall south of $200 million unfortunately. A 6x multiplier just seems highly unlikely. However, the Universal film is right on the heels of the studio’s own Fifty Shades Darker and should surpass it on Monday.
Faith-based film, The Shack dropped one spot from last weekend. The Lionsgate production dropped 37.9%, grossing another $10.1 million. After 10 days in theaters, The Shack has made $32.3 million stateside. That drop’s on par with Heaven is For Real (-36.3%) and Miracles from Heaven (-34.6%). Both of those films managed 4x mulitipliers or higher. If The Shack continues a similar trajectory, a finish above $60 million is possible.
Rounding out the weekend is Warner Bros.’ The Lego Batman Movie. The successful animated spin-off dipped another 33.2% over the weekend, pulling in $7.8 million. After five weeks in theaters, Batman has grossed $159 million domestically. With Disney’s Beauty and the Beast due out next weekend, this is Batman’s last stay on the top charts. However, as it pushes towards the end of its run, we can still be looking at finish around $175 million. While not as leggy as The Lego Movie, that’s still an impressive feat.
Note: These #’s are based on Sunday’s projections and can change with Monday’s actual #’s.
#1 – Kong: Skull Island (NR)
$61.0 million / $61.0 million total
#2 – Logan (1)
$37.9 million / $152.6 million total
#3 – Get Out (2)
$21.1 million / $111.1 million total
#4 – The Shack (3)
$10.1 million / $32.3 million total
#5 – The Lego Batman Movie (4)
$7.8 million / $159.0 million total
Opening Next Week: Beauty and the Beast, The Belko Experiment
Source: Box Office Mojo
