Weekend Actuals: ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Pops w/ $26.5M 3-Day, $35.2M 5-Day; ‘Mile 22’ Smuggles $13.7M

Monday Update:

It might not quite qualify as “crazy rich,” but Crazy Rich Asians topped the box office this weekend with a confirmed $26.5 million.

The Warner Bros. romantic comedy earned steadily higher studio estimates, from $23.6 million on Saturday to $25.2 million on Sunday to a $26.5 million actual on Monday.

After its Wednesday opening last week, the title has now earned $35.2 million total.

Last weekend’s leader, fellow Warner Bros. action-adventure The Meg, fell to the runner-up slot with a confirmed $21.1 million.

Some weekend projections had the film running neck-and-neck with Crazy or even leading for a second frame, but Meg fell a bit further than expected while Crazy exceeded most box office expectations.

Meg‘s -53% second weekend decline was sharper than for other recent shark-themed summer movies, such as -36% for 47 Meters Down or -47% for The Shallows.

STX Entertainment’s R-rated action thriller Mile 22 started in third place with a confirmed $13.7 million. Sony’s action-adventure Alpha began in fifth place with a confirmed $10.3 million. Both were roughly in line with pre-release expectations.

Comparisons

Total box office this weekend was $129.1 million. That’s 12.1% below last weekend, but 33.9% ahead of this same weekend last year.

Year-to-date box office stands at $7.98 billion. That’s 9.2% ahead of last year, up from +8.7% after last weekend.

Demographic data

According to demographic data from BoxofficeProfile:

  • The audience for Crazy Rich Asians was 56.7% female. While a female skew is typical for a romantic comedy, that’s actually pretty closer to 50/50 as far the genre goes. For comparison, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again was 69.1% female this weekend.
  • Crazy also skewed older, with 55.2% of the audience aged 50 or older. That may be in part due to the plot’s major themes of generational clashes and a mother-in-law who may be the third biggest character after the two romantic leads.

A full demographic breakdown of last weekend, courtesy of BoxofficeProfile, is included below.


Sunday Update:

Crazy Rich Asians had a crazy rich weekend. The heavily-hyped release led by a cast of Asian actors – arguably the first such film from a major studio since 1993’s The Joy Luck Club – grossed an estimated $25.2 million over the three-day period and $34 million since opening on Wednesday, bringing it in at the high end of expectations. Further down the Top 10, new wide releases Mile 22 and Alpha debuted to less impressive numbers.

After weeks of steadily-building hype for the Warner Bros. comedy, Crazy Rich Asians made good on its promise, helped in no small part by an all-encompassing media blitz, strong social media activity, and overwhelmingly positive early buzz. It also had little in the way of competition, with no other major studio comedies currently making waves at the box office. Debuting in 3,384 theaters, the film boasted a strong per-screen average of $7,457 and skewed heavily female, with women making up 68 percent of the opening weekend audience.

Based on audience exit surveys (opening day audiences gave the film an “A” Cinemascore) and strong reviews (it’s currently 92 percent “Fresh” at Rotten Tomatoes), Crazy Rich Asians could well be in for a leggy run in the weeks ahead, with positive word-of-mouth and the historic nature of the release serving to boost its prospects. Indeed, reports of individuals and organizations buying out theaters and organizing large groups to see the film have been widespread. It’s a phenomenon that certainly helped strengthen the opening weekend numbers but could also have a ripple effect going forward, as the film’s cultural importance continues to be a rallying cry for both new and repeat viewers.

Slipping to second place was last weekend’s big winner The Meg, which took in an estimated $21.1 million in its sophomore frame for a grand total of $83.7 million after ten days. That’s a 53 percent drop for the Warner Bros. shark thriller, which took industry observers by surprise when it debuted to a much better-than-expected $45.4 million last weekend. The $150 million release (co-financed by Beijing-based Gravity Pictures) is now assured a domestic gross north of $100 million, in addition to international receipts that have already topped $ million through Sunday.

Debuting in third place was STX’s Mile 22, the latest film from star Mark Wahlberg and director Peter Berg, who previously worked together on Lone Survivor, Deepwater Horizon, and Patriots Day. With an estimated $13.6 million, the film improved on the wide opening of Patriots Day ($11.6 million) but came in significantly lower than both Deepwater Horizon ($20.2 million) and Lone Survivor ($37.8 million). Audiences gave this one a “B-” Cinemascore but it was less-beloved by critics, who largely panned it (the Rotten Tomatoes score is 20%). The audience breakdown was heavily male (60%) and skewed older, with 73% over the age of 25.

Compared to other recent male-driven releases, Mile 22 took in less than last year’s Tom Cruise vehicle American Made ($16.8 million) and the Gerard Butler actioner Den of Thieves ($15.2 million), though it did come in a tick higher Death Wish, the revenge reboot starring Bruce Willis that debuted to $13 million back in March. On the plus side, the film’s reported budget is a relatively modest $35 million.

The next two films on the list, Mission: Impossible – Fallout and Alpha, came in neck and neck this weekend.

The late-summer blockbuster Mission: Impossible – Fallout dipped about 45 percent to an estimated $10.5 million in its fourth weekend of play. That gives the Tom Cruise franchise entry an impressive $180.7 million thus far, putting it just a hair below the first Mission: Impossible‘s $180.9 million final gross back in 1996 and giving it a decent shot of topping Mission: Impossible II‘s $215.4 million cume when all is said and done. Not adjusting for inflation, that would make it the highest-grossing installment of the franchise to date.

Also taking an estimated $10.5 million was Sony’s Alpha, which debuted slightly better than projected. The Sony historical action/drama boasts a good “B+” Cinemascore and an 84 percent “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which could have helped push it a bit higher this weekend.

Alpha‘s prehistoric setting, subtitled dialogue (the characters speak in an unidentifiable language), and lack of marquee actors (it stars the X-Men franchise’s Kodi-Smith McPhee) were always going to make this film a difficult sell for mainstream audiences, so it could be counted as a small victory that it debuted as high as it did. The last time we saw a major action film set in prehistoric times was 2008’s 10,000 BC, but that title benefitted from the name value of Independence Day director Roland Emmerich and a tentpole-style marketing campaign. It debuted with $35.8 million and finished with $94.7 million domestically.

In sixth place is Disney’s Christopher Robin, which dipped just 32 percent to an estimated $8.9 million in weekend three. The family release now has $66.9 million after 17 days, which puts it 18 percent ahead of Pete’s Dragon by the same point ($54.8 million) and 25 percent ahead of Paddington ($50.3 million). The budget on the film is unknown, though some reports put it in the $70 million range.

Finishing in seventh in its sophomore frame was BlacKkKlansman, which took in an estimated $7 million this weekend. That’s a drop of 35 percent for the acclaimed Spike Lee film, which added nearly 300 theaters after debuting to $10.8 million last weekend. The Focus release now has a good $23 million after ten days, which already puts in sixth place on the list of Lee’s top-grossing films of all time domestically, just behind Do the Right Thing ($27.5 million) and just ahead of He Got Game ($21.5 million) not adjusting for inflation.

Last weekend’s teen-driven horror film Slender Man dropped to eighth place in its sophomore frame, grossing $4.9 million for a total of $20.7 million domestically. That’s a fairly steep drop from its $11.3 million debut last weekend but not an unexpected one, as these types of horror releases are generally heavily frontloaded and tend to fade quickly.

Rounding out the Top 10, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation took in an estimated $3.6 million in its seventh frame for a cume of $153.8 million domestically, while Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again finished in tenth place with an estimated $3.4 million in its fifth weekend and $111.2 million to date.

Overseas Update: 

With another $67 million internationally this weekend, Warner Bros.’  The Meg has crossed the $300 million mark worldwide, with $230.4 overseas and $83.8 million in North America. The $314.2 million total includes a very strong $30.5 million second weekend in China, bringing the film’s total in that country to $117.2 million.

Also chalking up a milestone was Mission: Impossible – Fallout, which crossed the $500 million mark worldwide after bringing in another $20.5 million overseas. Its international total now stands at $320.7 million and its global cume is $501.4 million.

Lastly, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation passed the $400 million mark globally this weekend following its debut in China, where it opened to $16.9 million. It now has $272.1 million internationally and $426 million worldwide.


Monday’s Weekend Actuals (Domestic)

FRI, AUG. 17 – SUN, AUG. 19

WIDE (1000+)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 Crazy Rich Asians $26,510,140 3,384 $7,834 $35,276,909 1 Warner Bros.
2 The Meg $21,151,012 -53% 4,118 0 $5,136 $83,760,074 2 Warner Bros.
3 Mile 22 $13,710,825 3,520 $3,895 $13,710,825 1 STX Entertainment
4 Mission: Impossible – Fallout $10,773,347 -44% 3,482 -406 $3,094 $181,012,068 4 Paramount
5 Alpha $10,352,512 2,719 $3,807 $10,352,512 1 Sony / Columbia
6 Disney’s Christopher Robin $8,861,530 -32% 3,602 0 $2,460 $66,878,940 3 Disney
7 BlacKkKlansman $7,383,195 -32% 1,788 276 $4,129 $23,392,685 2 Focus Features
8 Slender Man $4,801,712 -58% 2,358 0 $2,036 $20,578,291 2 Sony / Screen Gems
9 Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation $3,768,479 -28% 2,187 -402 $1,723 $153,962,179 8 Sony / Columbia
10 Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again $3,405,405 -42% 2,270 -542 $1,500 $111,222,895 5 Universal Pictures
11 The Equalizer 2 $2,863,549 -47% 1,888 -485 $1,517 $94,782,433 5 Sony / Columbia
12 Ant-Man and the Wasp $2,646,856 -35% 1,520 -343 $1,741 $208,392,506 7 Disney
13 The Spy Who Dumped Me $2,617,298 -60% 2,409 -702 $1,086 $29,998,313 3 Lionsgate
14 Incredibles 2 $2,302,020 -33% 1,238 -307 $1,859 $594,100,868 10 Disney
15 Dog Days $868,664 -66% 2,387 -55 $364 $5,929,487 2 LD Entertainment / Mirror

LIMITED (100 — 999)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom $1,157,380 -42% 814 -423 $1,422 $411,754,745 9 Universal
2 Teen Titans GO! to the Movies $750,127 -59% 590 -847 $1,271 $27,301,479 4 Warner Bros.
3 Eighth Grade $735,240 -54% 542 -542 $1,357 $11,638,783 6 A24
4 Three Identical Strangers $502,144 -32% 276 -50 $1,819 $10,567,548 8 Neon
5 Skyscraper $314,860 -53% 370 -300 $851 $66,772,705 6 Universal Pictures
6 Death of a Nation $311,193 -68% 354 -471 $879 $5,312,420 3 Quality Flix / Pure Flix
7 The Darkest Minds $255,173 -88% 448 -2679 $570 $12,289,659 3 20th Century Fox
8 Sorry To Bother You $253,968 -39% 143 -61 $1,776 $16,297,953 7 Annapurna Pictures
9 Won’t You Be My Neighbor? $214,115 -38% 206 -23 $1,039 $22,076,102 11 Focus Features
10 Puzzle $212,704 32% 108 64 $1,969 $728,323 4 Sony Pictures Classics
11 Ocean’s 8 $200,057 -22% 211 -22 $948 $138,780,224 11 Warner Bros.
12 The First Purge $139,035 -51% 184 -109 $756 $68,751,905 7 Universal Pictures
13 Tag (2018) $115,287 -18% 163 7 $707 $54,325,802 10 Warner Bros.
14 Uncle Drew $105,497 28% 147 29 $718 $42,191,935 8 Lionsgate / Summit
15 Solo: A Star Wars Story $100,607 -23% 152 -18 $662 $213,462,269 13 Disney
16 Avengers: Infinity War $100,562 -47% 148 -24 $679 $678,591,431 17 Disney
17 Deadpool 2 $58,766 -40% 119 -36 $494 $318,337,377 14 Fox

PLATFORM (1 — 99)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 The Miseducation of Cameron Post $141,059 14% 72 47 $1,959 $407,735 3 FilmRise
2 The Spy Gone North $136,031 214% 31 29 $4,388 $199,559 2 CJ Entertainment
3 The Island $128,124 -51% 34 -6 $3,768 $526,221 2 Well Go USA Entertainment
4 McQueen $113,763 -30% 95 42 $1,198 $975,198 5 Bleecker Street
5 Blindspotting $108,561 -52% 47 -91 $2,310 $4,021,568 5 Lionsgate / Summit
6 The Wife $108,284 4 $27,071 $108,284 1 Sony Pictures Classics
7 Sicario: Day of the Soldado $88,648 -16% 85 -24 $1,043 $49,835,252 8 Sony / Black Label
8 Along With the Gods: The Last 49 Days $85,347 -50% 18 -18 $4,742 $1,005,163 3 Well Go USA Entertainment
9 Leave No Trace $78,778 -46% 93 -30 $847 $5,668,506 8 Bleeker Street
10 We The Animals $63,357 3 $21,119 $63,357 1 The Orchard
11 Skate Kitchen $63,040 239% 25 24 $2,522 $63,040 2 Magnolia
12 Juliet, Naked $60,886 4 $15,222 $60,886 1 Roadside Attractions / Lionsgate
13 RBG $52,781 -34% 52 -11 $1,015 $13,823,648 16 Magnolia Pictures
14 Blaze $44,250 3 $14,750 $44,250 1 IFC Films / Sundance Selects
15 The Cakemaker $38,921 -8% 31 3 $1,256 $704,770 8 Strand Releasing
16 Yellow Submarine (2018 re-release) $27,449 33% 19 10 $1,445 $901,296 7 Abramorama
17 Buybust $25,131 -68% 18 -7 $1,396 $153,551 2 Well Go USA Entertainment
18 Hereditary $24,222 -40% 33 -21 $734 $44,032,182 11 A24
19 Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot $19,503 -48% 33 -27 $591 $1,400,771 6 Amazon Studios
20 The Captain $16,421 19% 10 4 $1,642 $63,053 4 Music Box Films
21 Far From The Tree $13,558 28% 22 11 $616 $118,663 5 IFC Films / Sundance Selects
22 Memoir of War $11,653 2 $5,827 $11,653 1 Music Box Films
23 Never Goin’ Back $9,693 -39% 27 15 $359 $52,925 3 A24
24 1945 $9,026 0% 13 3 $694 $832,378 42 Menemsha Films
25 American Animals $6,984 -38% 5 -5 $1,397 $2,846,270 12 The Orchard
26 Minding the Gap $6,812 4 $1,703 $6,812 1 Hulu / Magnolia Pictures
27 Nico, 1988 $6,809 -44% 9 -3 $757 $45,656 3 Magnolia Pictures
28 Hearts Beat Loud $4,630 -8% 12 -2 $386 $2,376,032 11 Gunpowder & Sky
29 Whitney $4,532 -64% 8 -15 $567 $2,994,178 7 Roadside Attractions
30 Generation Wealth $3,975 -74% 14 -15 $284 $230,571 5 Amazon Studios / Magnolia Pictures
31 93Queen $3,878 -5% 2 0 $1,939 $49,278 4 Abramorama
32 Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda $3,402 -51% 4 -5 $851 $104,349 7 Cartilage Films
33 Boundaries $3,233 -11% 7 -4 $462 $694,225 9 Sony Pictures Classics
34 Under the Tree $3,060 8400% 4 3 $765 $61,527 7 Magnolia Pictures
35 Custody $2,986 16% 3 0 $995 $76,705 8 Kino Lorber
36 The Catcher Was A Spy $2,908 -30% 5 -4 $582 $711,669 9 IFC Films
37 The Rider $2,905 82% 6 2 $484 $2,378,217 19 Sony Pictures Classics
38 Winning Formula $2,706 3 $902 $17,389 4 Indican Pictures
39 Good Manners (As Boas Maneiras) $2,513 105% 4 0 $628 $16,539 4 Distrib Films Us
40 The Third Murder $2,108 -72% 8 -1 $264 $65,265 5 Film Movement
41 Wanda $1,880 -51% 2 0 $940 $45,122 5 Janus Films
42 Damsel $1,795 784% 3 -1 $598 $304,113 9 Magnolia Pictures
43 Cuban Food Stories $1,399 -54% 1 0 $1,399 $5,433 2 First Run Features
44 Isle of Dogs $1,033 -16% 5 -2 $207 $31,989,645 22 Fox Searchlight
45 No Date, No Signature $997 -80% 2 -1 $499 $21,068 3 Distrib Films US
46 Poor Boy $974 2 $487 $27,885 6 Indican Pictures
47 The Atomic Cafe $825 -78% 2 -3 $413 $15,732 3 Kino Lorber
48 What Will People Say $541 -18% 2 -1 $271 $34,179 6 Kino Lorber
49 The Desert Bride $537 -42% 1 0 $537 $29,764 16 Strand Releasing
50 Filmworker $499 -50% 1 0 $499 $98,503 15 Kino Lorber
51 Holy Hell $478 1 $478 $34,215 5 Indican Pictures
52 En el Séptimo Día $423 -47% 3 0 $141 $72,749 11 Cinema Guild
53 The Day After $409 1 $409 $24,776 15 Cinema Guild
54 Love, Cecil $330 -90% 1 -4 $330 $97,214 8 Zeitgeist Films
55 Jet Trash $275 1 $275 $23,479 17 Indican Pictures
56 Ganja & Hess $240 1 $240 $17,679 12 Kino Lorber
57 Gabriel and the Mountain $223 1 $223 $15,288 10 Strand Releasing
58 Bye Bye Germany $222 -16% 1 0 $222 $68,278 19 Film Movement
59 Walk With Me $138 1 $138 $726,593 33 Kino Lorber

Sunday’s Studio Weekend Estimates (Domestic)

FRI, AUG. 17 – SUN, AUG. 19

WIDE (1000+)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 Crazy Rich Asians $25,235,000 3,384 $7,457 $34,001,769 1 Warner Bros.
2 The Meg $21,150,000 -53% 4,118 0 $5,136 $83,759,062 2 Warner Bros.
3 Mile 22 $13,620,000 3,520 $3,869 $13,620,000 1 STX Entertainment
4 Mission: Impossible – Fallout $10,500,000 -46% 3,482 -406 $3,016 $180,738,721 4 Paramount
5 Alpha $10,500,000 2,719 $3,862 $10,500,000 1 Sony / Columbia
6 Disney’s Christopher Robin $8,862,000 -32% 3,602 0 $2,460 $66,879,410 3 Disney
7 BlacKkKlansman $7,000,000 -35% 1,788 276 $3,915 $23,009,490 2 Focus Features
8 Slender Man $4,965,000 -56% 2,358 0 $2,106 $20,741,579 2 Sony / Screen Gems
9 Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation $3,675,000 -29% 2,187 -402 $1,680 $153,868,700 8 Sony / Columbia
10 Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again $3,390,000 -42% 2,270 -542 $1,493 $111,207,490 5 Universal Pictures
11 The Equalizer 2 $2,810,000 -48% 1,888 -485 $1,488 $94,728,884 5 Sony / Columbia
12 The Spy Who Dumped Me $2,650,000 -59% 2,409 -702 $1,100 $30,031,015 3 Lionsgate
13 Ant-Man and the Wasp $2,613,000 -36% 1,520 -343 $1,719 $208,358,650 7 Disney
14 Incredibles 2 $2,321,000 -32% 1,238 -307 $1,875 $594,119,848 10 Disney
15 Dog Days $830,000 -68% 2,387 -55 $348 $5,890,823 2 LD Entertainment / Mirror

LIMITED (100 — 999)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom $1,155,000 -42% 814 -423 $1,419 $411,752,365 9 Universal
2 Eighth Grade $740,000 -53% 542 -542 $1,365 $11,643,543 6 A24
3 Teen Titans GO! to the Movies $710,000 -61% 590 -847 $1,203 $27,261,352 4 Warner Bros.
4 Three Identical Strangers $498,400 -32% 276 -50 $1,806 $10,563,804 8 Neon
5 Sorry To Bother You $246,500 -41% 143 -61 $1,724 $16,290,485 7 Annapurna Pictures
6 Puzzle $217,986 35% 108 64 $2,018 $733,605 4 Sony Pictures Classics
7 Uncle Drew $105,000 27% 147 29 $714 $42,191,438 8 Lionsgate / Summit
8 Solo: A Star Wars Story $98,000 -25% 152 -18 $645 $213,459,662 13 Disney
9 Avengers: Infinity War $97,000 -49% 148 -24 $655 $678,587,869 17 Disney
10 Death of a Nation $10,305 -99% 354 -471 $29 $5,011,532 3 Quality Flix / Pure Flix

PLATFORM (1 — 99)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 The Miseducation of Cameron Post $138,000 12% 72 47 $1,917 $404,676 3 FilmRise
2 McQueen $111,346 -31% 95 42 $1,172 $972,781 5 Bleecker Street
3 The Wife $111,137 4 $27,784 $111,137 1 Sony Pictures Classics
4 Blindspotting $110,000 -52% 47 -91 $2,340 $4,023,007 5 Lionsgate / Summit
5 Leave No Trace $81,092 -44% 93 -30 $872 $5,670,820 8 Bleeker Street
6 We The Animals $66,261 3 $22,087 $66,261 1 The Orchard
7 Juliet, Naked $60,922 4 $15,231 $60,922 1 Roadside Attractions / Lionsgate
8 Blaze $45,342 3 $15,114 $45,342 1 IFC Films / Sundance Selects
9 Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood $42,082 -22% 27 9 $1,559 $253,979 4 Greenwich Entertainment
10 Madeline’s Madeline $19,450 8% 2 1 $9,725 $46,273 2 Oscilloscope Laboratories
11 The Captain $14,880 7% 10 4 $1,488 $61,512 4 Music Box Films
12 Memoir of War $10,710 2 $5,355 $10,710 1 Music Box Films
13 Dark Money $10,305 10 $1,031 $164,047 6 PBS Distribution
14 Hearts Beat Loud $3,877 -23% 12 -2 $323 $2,375,279 11 Gunpowder & Sky
15 Gauguin – Voyage To Tahiti $2,531 -85% 3 -5 $844 $200,157 6 Cohen Media Group

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