‘Ralph Breaks the Internet’ Leads Another Quiet December Weekend
For a third straight weekend, Ralph Breaks the Internet topped the box office, edging out The Grinch. Disney’s animated sequel brought in an estimated $16.1 million over the weekend.
With a loaded slate due out next weekend, Disney’s Ralph Breaks the Internet enjoyed a final weekend on top. Pending no switches with Monday actuals, it was the first film to three-peat since Crazy Rich Asians this past August. It 36.9% third week drop in on par with Disney’s other animated Thanksgiving releases. However, its third weekend gross is only ahead of Tangled ($14.3 million). Toy Story 2, Frozen, Moana and Coco still have a slight edge over Ralph Breaks the Internet. How it fares against Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse will be the deciding factor if Ralph Breaks the Internet can keep up pace. Holiday legs still guarantee at least $200 million, though it may fall short of Illumination’s The Grinch in the long run.
Outside of Oscar hopefuls, Green Book, A Star is Born and The Favourite, Illumination Entertainment’s The Grinch continues to hold better than the rest of the competition. Almost dethroning Ralph Breaks the Internet, The Grinch brought in another $15.2 million for its fifth weekend. That’s the best fifth weekend on record since Incredibles 2 ($16.3 million) over the summer. Now at $223.4 million, it looks more promising for The Grinch to hold off both Ralph Breaks the Internet and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse domestically. If The Grinch can hang on against Spider-Man, it may rival the 2000 Jim Carrey adaptation.
MGM’s Creed II went another round in the third place spot. The boxing drama, starring Michael B. Jordan and Tessa Thompson, grossed another $10.3 in its third weekend. That’s down a decent 38% since the post-Thanksgiving frame. That’s a bit harder than the 2015 film, which only took a 32.5% hit. Creed II creeps up on the century mark, which it should have problem crossing by the start of next weekend. However, topping the unadjusted gross of Rocky IV ($127.9 million) won’t be as much of a guarantee. It remains a plus to top Creed’s $109.9 million run.
With the exception of Sony’s horror bust, The Possession of Hannah Grace, Fantastic Beasts continues to drop harder than the rest of the competition. A vast improvement over last weekend’s 61.3% collapse, The Crimes of Grindelwald only took a 40.1% hit over the weekend. That’s actually better than the 2016 film’s 42.5% drop in its fourth weekend. Another $6.8 million over the weekend, brings its total up to $145.2 million. Fantastic Beasts continues to track under the entire opening weekend of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 ($169.2 million).
Bohemian Rhapsody enjoyed its sixth consecutive weekend in the top 5. Fox’s Freddie Mercury biopic claimed the fifth place spot once again, dipping 25.1%. Rocking out to another $6 million, Bohemian Rhapsody has now reached $173.6 million. Sometime tomorrow, Bohemian Rhapsody should be able to top Crazy Rich Asians ($174 million) to become the 13th highest-grossing film of 2018. Topping Paramount’s A Quiet Place ($188 million) also seems feasible as we head into the busy holiday weekends. However, a major loss of screens over the next two weeks will be a deciding factor.
Note: These #’s are based on Sunday’s projections and can change with Monday’s actual #’s
#1 – Ralph Breaks the Internet (1)
$16.1 million / $140.9 million total
#2 – The Grinch (2)
$15.2 million / $223.5 million total
#3 – Creed II (3)
$10.3 million / $96.5 million total
#4 – Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (4)
$6.8 million / $145.2 million total
#5 – Bohemian Rhapsody (5)
$6.0 million / $173.6 million total
Opening Next Week: Once Upon a Deadpool (Wednesday), Mortal Engines, The Mule, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Roma (limited), The Favourite (expanding)
Source: Box Office Mojo