Weekend Box Office (December 9 - 11, 2016)
THIS WEEKEND Another slow early December session is likely as Hollywood offers up only one new wide release plus one serious film expanding nationwide after limited play. Paramount delivers R-rated laughs with its new comedy Office Christmas Party which could excite some moviegoers with its combination of multiple stars and holiday-themed hijinks.
Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman lead the cast and they've had their share of raunchy hits. Joining them are T.J. Miller, Kate McKinnon, Olivia Munn, Rob Corddry and others. Reviews have not been too good, but moviegoers will judge this more on the recognizable faces and the wild antics in trailers and commercials. The studio hopes to have a major comedy alternative to the sci-fi and fantasy tentpoles that will be dominating the final weeks of 2016. Opening in over 3,100 locations, Office Christmas Party might debut to about $14M.
The Jessica Chastain film Miss Sloane goes nationwide Friday after two weeks in platform release. Its average last weekend of $11,213 from four houses was not very promising for a film about to make the leap to 1,598 locations. Plus reviews have been mixed and awards buzz is light. Early and mid December are tough times to connect with adult women due to holiday shopping and events so this one will not be a top priority for many. EuropaCorp may capture around $4M this weekend.
Disney hopes for a third week at number one for its toon hit Moana before handing the box office crown over to its own Rogue One for the rest of the year. The Polynesian comedy has no new competition for families so a 35% dip may result. That would put Maui and pals at about $18M lifting the cume to $141M.
Fantastic Beasts is nearing the double century mark and may fall 40% to around $11M putting Warner Bros. at $198M.
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Watch the NEW trailer for Transformers: The Last Knight.
LAST YEAR Four-peating during the calm before the Star Wars storm, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 eked out a victory with $11.4M edging out the new adventure flop In the Heart of the Sea which debuted to a weak $11.1M for Warner Bros. on its way to a lousy $25M final. Holdovers rounded out the top five with The Good Dinosaur doing $10.3M, Creed grossing $10.1M, and Krampus taking in $8.4M.
This column is updated three times each week: Thursday (upcoming weekend's summary), Sunday (post-weekend analysis with estimates), and Monday night (actuals). Opinions expressed in this column are those solely of the author.
Last Updated: December 8, 2016 at 2:15PM ET
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