1. Frozen 2 (review)- $127M
Disney’s anticipated Frozen 2 journeyed into the unknown, breaking records at every turn. The Disney sequel earned $127M domestically, the biggest ever for a Walt Disney Animation film and the third-largest animated debut stateside ever behind The Incredibles 2 and Finding Dory. Internationally it actually surpassed its predecessor with $223M, making for a record-breaking $350M worldwide total. It just goes to show Disney saw no blowback from the long six-year wait between films, growing more popular during that time.
2. Ford v Ferrari– $16M/$57.9M
3. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (review)- $13.5M
The absolutely wonderful Mister Rogers biopic A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood opened with $13.5M, a good but not great start clearly affected by Frozen 2‘s powerhouse debut. The good news is reviews are so strong for Marielle Heller’s film and Tom Hanks’ performance as the late-great Fred Rogers that it’s likely to have a lengthy theatrical run. Hanks is already being positioned as a likely Oscar frontrunner and I see other nominations in the movie’s future, as well. In other words, look for a big Oscar boost at some point.
4. 21 Bridges (review)- $9.3M
Chadwick Boseman’s cop thriller 21 Bridges, a perfectly entertaining action vehicle for the Black Panther star, opened with just $9.3M. The timing has been way off on this one, having been previously scheduled for last July and then September, both probably would’ve served it better than going up against Frozen 2 at awards season time.
5. Midway– $4.7M/$43.1M
6. Playing with Fire– $4.6M/$31.6M
7. The Good Liar– $3.3M/$11.7M
8. Charlie’s Angels– $3.1M/$13.9M
9. Last Christmas– $3M/$27.7M
10. Joker– $2.8M/$326.9M
In just a pair of early previews at 936 sites, Rian Johnson’s well-reviewed, star-studded mystery Knives Out took in $2M. That’s a really promising start as it heads into general release next week when it’s projected to open at around $20M. Meanwhile, Todd Phillips’s environmental legal thriller Dark Waters got off to a decent start with $110K in just 4 locations. Despite good buzz for Mark Ruffalo’s performance as a crusading corporate attorney, this one’s going to be a tough sell without major awards prospects.
