1. Toy Story 4 (review)- $118M
To nobody’s surprise, Pixar’s Toy Story 4 beat a weak crop of new releases to win the weekend with $118M. That’s a solid number but far from analyst, and even Disney’s, projects of nearly $150M. That said, it surpasses the (unadjusted) numbers for Toy Story 3 which opened with $110M. And so far Woody, Buzz, and the gang have earned $238M worldwide, so nobody’s complaining, I’m sure. The reviews from press and audiences have been through the roof, with it currently sitting at 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. I wasn’t sure what the reaction to it was going to be. Sure, the reviews would be good but there was apprehension about another chapter to a franchise many think wrapped up perfectly nine years ago. The answer is that some people clearly stayed away, and maybe the strong word-of-mouth will lead to a good hold next week.
2. Child’s Play (review)- $14M
There’s still some life yet in the killer doll, Chucky. The Child’s Play reboot, which I’m not sure anybody really wanted, managed to open with a decent $14M. For a $10M-budgeted redo of a long-running horror with a niche audience that’s pretty good. That said, it’s possible they showed up out of curiosity rather than genuine interest. The film stars Aubrey Plaza and Brian Tyree Henry, but it’s Mark Hamill as the incoming voice of Chucky that caught some attention. This franchise, perhaps more than any other, has a loyal fanbase who love the Brad Dourif version of the slasher doll. The original continuity is being maintained in a separate franchise, which makes this relaunch something of a curiosity. A modestly successful one, so far.
3. Aladdin– $12.2M/$287.5M
4. Men in Black: International– $10.7M/$52.6M
Taking the biggest hit from Toy Story 4‘s arrival was Men in Black: International, which fell 64% and made $10.7M. So far the sequel has $52M domestic and $182M worldwide.
5. The Secret Life of Pets 2– $10.2M/$117.5M
6. Rocketman– $5.6M/$77.3M
7. John Wick: Chapter 3-Parabellum– $4M/$156M
8. Godzilla: King of the Monsters– $3.7M/$102.3M
9. Dark Phoenix– $3.6M/$60.1M
10. Shaft– $3.5M/$15.9M
Also opening this week was Luc Besson’s latest female assassin actioner, Anna (review) with just $3.53M. If you didn’t know this was a thing, that’s possibly the point. The film, which stars Russian supermodel Sasha Luss (who is quite good) as a junkie who becomes a KGB assassin, is similar to many of Besson’s previous films, such as La Femme Nikita and Lucy. But there was little chance of it doing anything stateside, despite a cast that includes Helen Mirren, Cillian Murphy, and Luke Evans. Besson has been the subject of controversy after a serious of sexual assault allegations emerged, and Lionsgate has done their best to hide the film ever since. They didn’t bother to screen it for press, and promos have been nonexistent, so this weak debut is hardly shocking.
