Weekend Box Office (January 26 - 28, 2018)

by Gitesh Pandya

THIS WEEKEND Action fans powered the sequel Maze Runner: The Death Cure into the number one spot with a debut of an estimated $23.5M. That was 23% below the opening weekend of the last film in the series from 2015 and a drop for the threequel was always expected. Reviews were mixed for the PG-13 entry which averaged $6,205 from 3,787 locations.

Studio data from Fox showed that the audience was 51% female, 57% under 25, and 52% white. The CinemaScore grade was a good B+. Overseas, the new Maze Runner did $62.6M this weekend led by China's $21.7M opening weekend. The overseas cume is now $82M and worldwide stands at $105.5M. The first two films grossed a combined $657M globally.

It's been three weeks at number one and three weeks at number two for the runaway smash Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle which fell back into the runner-up spot this weekend while once again displaying sensational legs. The Sony hit slipped only 16% grossing an estimated $16.4M in its sixth weekend. That's the best gross for any film in its sixth weekend since Frozen from four years ago. Jumanji has now collected a stunning $338.1M in North America adding to its $484M from overseas for an eye-popping $822.1M global tally. With good holds everywhere and Japan still to open, this Dwayne Johnson-Kevin Hart juggernaut looks likely to finish in the neighborhood of $950M worldwide. Even the $1 billion mark can't be ruled out at this point.

Expanding nationwide after a month of limited play was the Western Hostiles with Christian Bale which did an estimated $10.2M from 2,816 locations for a mild $3,622 average. The Entertainment Studios release earned generally positive reviews. The leggy musical hit The Greatest Showman followed with an estimated $9.5M slipping only 11% in its sixth frame while still sitting in the top five throughout its run. Fox has banked $126.5M domestic with worldwide now at $259.5M.

Next was the Best Picture Oscar contender The Post which dropped 25% to an estimated $8.9M on the weekend after nominations were announced. Cume for Fox is $58.5M. Warner Bros. saw 12 Strong fall 45% to an estimated $8.6M putting the sum at $29.8M.

The action title Den of Thieves was close behind with an estimated $8.4M, down 45%, giving STX $28.5M overall. Academy Award frontrunner The Shape of Water took its 13 nominations and more than doubled its distribution this weekend. Fox Searchlight grossed an estimated $5.7M for a $3,074 average raising the total to $37.7M. With all the Oscar attention, more moviegoers are finding the Guillermo del Toro film which should be able to keep its momentum going over the weeks ahead.

Kidpic Paddington 2 took in an estimated $5.6M, down 31%, and has taken in $32M to date for Warner Bros. Star Wars: The Last Jedi dropped 36% to an estimated $4.2M putting the domestic haul at $610.7M. The international total broke $700M this weekend with the global gross now $1.31 billion.

The top ten films grossed an estimated $100.9M which was down 10% from last year when Split stayed at number one with $25.7M; and down 15% from 2016 when Kung Fu Panda 3 opened in the top spot with $41.3M.

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Watch the trailer for Pacific Rim Uprising.

Compared to projections, Maze Runner opened close to my $22M forecast while Hostiles debuted above my $6M prediction. The Shape of Water was on target with my $6M projection.

Be sure to check back on Thursday for a complete summary, including projections, for next weekend when Winchester opens.

# Title Jan 26 - 28 Jan 19 - 21 % Chg. Theaters Weeks AVG Cumulative Distributor
1 Maze Runner: The Death Cure $ 24,167,011 3,787 1 $ 6,382 $ 24,167,011 Fox
2 Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle 16,144,874 19,505,170 -17.2 3,553 6 4,544 337,802,077 Sony
3 Hostiles 10,110,739 580,260 2,816 6 3,590 11,958,536 Ent. Studios
4 The Greatest Showman 9,550,367 10,644,824 -10.3 2,663 6 3,586 126,525,599 Fox
5 The Post 9,107,141 11,716,960 -22.3 2,640 6 3,450 58,793,064 Fox
6 12 Strong 8,686,066 15,815,025 -45.1 3,018 2 2,878 29,810,676 Warner Bros.
7 Den of Thieves 8,632,808 15,206,108 -43.2 2,432 2 3,550 28,775,253 STX
8 The Shape of Water 5,922,553 2,186,311 170.9 1,854 9 3,194 37,901,298 Fox Searchlight
9 Paddington 2 5,668,433 8,009,250 -29.2 2,792 3 2,030 32,118,849 Warner Bros.
10 Padmaavat 4,430,255 326 1 13,590 4,937,521 Viva
11 Star Wars: The Last Jedi 4,254,001 6,555,435 -35.1 1,745 7 2,438 610,795,822 Disney
12 Three Billboards... 3,840,684 1,917,162 100.3 1,457 12 2,636 37,251,635 Fox Searchlight
13 Forever My Girl 3,567,978 4,245,490 -16.0 1,424 2 2,506 9,127,137 Roadside Attr.
14 The Commuter 3,412,694 6,603,842 -48.3 1,811 3 1,884 31,389,883 Lionsgate
15 Insidious: The Last Key 3,189,055 5,874,055 -45.7 1,901 4 1,678 63,449,355 Universal
16 I, Tonya 3,028,658 2,859,938 5.9 960 8 3,155 18,904,773 Neon/30WEST
17 Phantom Thread 2,981,885 3,246,720 -8.2 1,021 5 2,921 10,713,694 Focus
18 Darkest Hour 2,886,835 2,729,810 5.8 1,333 10 2,166 45,199,242 Focus
19 Lady Bird 1,887,226 1,194,401 58.0 1,172 13 1,610 41,610,318 A24
20 Coco 1,435,157 1,910,672 -24.9 621 10 2,311 202,702,394 Disney
Top 5 $ 69,080,132 $ 72,888,087 -5.2
Top 10 102,420,247 104,176,159 -1.7
Top 20 132,904,420 128,926,290 3.1
Top 20 vs. 2017 132,904,420 131,972,912 0.7

Last Updated: January 28, 2018 at 2:05PM ET

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