‘The Boss Baby’ Edges Out the Blockbuster ‘Beast’
It’s safe to say to never underestimate DreamWorks Animation in the springtime. The studio’s latest film, The Boss Baby claimed the top spot this weekend with an estimated $49 million.
The Alec Baldwin animated comedy was one of the studio’s less favorable films among critics. But that didn’t stop audiences from coming out over the weekend. Monsters vs. Aliens ($59.3 million), How to Train Your Dragon ($43.7 million), The Croods ($43.6 million) and Home ($52.1 million) all became major hits in the spring for DreamWorks. The Boss Baby is proving to be no different. We’ll see next weekend how well it’ll hold against Smurfs: The Lost Village. If it doesn’t take a direct hit, the rest of April could be smooth sailing. With an A- grade on CinemaScore, audiences are clearly down for The Boss Baby. That’s the same grade The Lego Batman Movie received a month or so ago, which broke $170 million domestically.
After dominating the box office for two weeks, Disney’s runaway hit, Beauty and the Beast fell one spot this weekend. The live-action remake dipped 47.4%, pulling in another $47.5 million. After 17 days in theaters, Beauty and the Beast made $395.5 million. $400 million will be broken on Tuesday at the very latest. That’s one day slower than The Dark Knight’s 18-day climb. $500 million is still in the cards if it plays out like The Jungle Book. A faster burn like Alice in Wonderland ends the blockbuster around $475-480 million.
Scarlett Johansson has drawn major numbers in ensemble pieces like The Avengers and The Jungle Book. But when it comes to a solo lead, the turnout is not as high. Anime adaptation, Ghost in the Shell opened in third place this weekend to $19 million. The genre has struggled before with Dragonball Evolution ($4.7 million) and Speed Racer ($18.6 million). Particularly after the surprising success of Lucy ($43.9 million), it’s disappointing that Ghost in the Shell couldn’t rack up half of those numbers. Despite so many stories left in that cyberpunk universe, it doesn’t look like a sequel is in order. Like critics, audiences were mixed as well, giving the film a B grade on CinemaScore.
Nostalgia ran rampant a week ago as Power Rangers blew away expectations with a $40.5 million weekend. The iconic color-coded team felt less super this weekend dropping 64%. In its second frame, the Lionsgate production grossed another $14.5 million. That’s a bigger drop than Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (-56.5%) or G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (-59.2%). Both of those reboots managed a 3x multiplier in the long run. Power Rangers will double its opening. However, the chance of breaking the century mark seem impossible. $90-95 million seems more probable at this point.
Down two spots from last weekend, Kong: Skull Island pulled in $8.8 million in its fourth weekend. The Warner Bros.’ production dropped 40% over the frame. With $200 million way out of sight, it’ll become the second March opener above $60 million to miss the milestone. 2006’s Ice Age: The Meltdown is the only other exception, which wound up with $195.3 million. Animation and live-action Disney films have benefited the most from a March release. Skull Island is obviously neither, playing more like a YA Hunger Games or Divergent release. $160 million over/under the finish of Get Out seems to be the most realistic trajectory.
The Boss Baby blew away my $33 million prediction, while Ghost in the Shell debuted a bit lower than expected.
Note: These #’s are based on Sunday’s projections and can change with Monday’s actual #’s.
#1 – The Boss Baby (NR)
$49.0 million / $49.0 million total
#2 – Beauty and the Beast (1)
$47.5 million / $395.5 million total
#3 – Ghost in the Shell (NR)
$19.0 million / $19.0 million total
#4 – Power Rangers (2)
$14.5 million / $65.1 million total
#5 – Kong: Skull Island (3)
$8.8 million / $147.8 million total
Opening Next Week: The Case for Christ, Going in Style, Smurfs: The Lost Village
Source: Box Office Mojo
