WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: The Croods: A New Age Three-Peats at No. 1 Over Another Slow Frame

Photo Credit: Universal/Dreamworks Animation

With no new wide releases hitting theaters this weekend during an overall slow December, Universal’s The Croods: A New Age easily retained the No. 1 spot at the North American box office with an estimated $3 million, a drop of just 32% from last weekend’s tally. That gives the Dreamworks Animation sequel a total of $24.3 million to date, putting it in second position among pandemic-era releases after Warner Bros.’ Tenet ($57.8 million).

It’s worth noting that only around 40% of theaters are currently open in North America, with many municipalities having shut down multiplexes during a record-breaking winter surge in new coronavirus cases. That puts the remainder of this weekend’s chart in sub-$500,000 territory, including the No. 2 film Half Brothers, which grossed an estimated $490,000 in its second weekend of release. The immigration-themed comedy from Focus Features has brought in $1.38 million to date.

Third place went to Warner Bros.’ re-release of the Will Ferrell holiday comedy Elf, which grossed an estimated $395,000 for a total of $2.2 million since it first began playing select theaters in July. 

No. 4 went to Universal’s body-swap horror-comedy Freaky, which brought in an estimated $315,000 this weekend for a domestic cume of $8.2 million.

In its tenth weekend of release, 101 Studios’ The War with Grandpa grossed an estimated $266,864 over the three-day frame, good enough for fifth place. The total for the Robert De Niro comedy is now $17.96 million.

Bleecker Street released the Emily Blunt drama Wild Mountain Thyme on 450 screens and brought in an estimated $100,000 in its debut weekend.

OVERSEAS

The Croods: A New Age brought in an estimated $8.44 million in 12 markets, including a No. 1 opening in Mexico, bringing its international cume to $52.08 million and its worldwide tally to $76.34 million. The majority of this weekend’s gross came from China, where the film held well with an estimated $6.6 million and has grossed $46 million to date. It has now surpassed Mulan to become the second highest-grossing MPA release in the country this year after Tenet.

Warner Bros.’ The Witches grossed an estimated $2.2 million from 37 markets, including $1.2 million in Australia where it opened in first place this weekend. The Anne Hathaway-starring remake now has $22 million worldwide (it debuted directly on HBOMax in North America).

Sony’s Monster Hunter, which is slated for release next weekend in North America, grossed an estimated $1.3 million overseas for an international total of $4.8 million so far.


Sunday’s Studio Weekend Estimates (Domestic)

FRI, DEC. 11 – SUN, DEC. 13

WIDE (1000+)

# TITLE WEEKEND   LOCATIONS   AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 The Croods: A New Age $3,010,000 -32% 2,115 -90 $1,423 $24,260,105 3 Universal Pictures
2 Half Brothers $490,000 -30% 1,386 17 $354 $1,381,525 2 Focus Features
3 Freaky $315,000 -34% 1,235 -267 $255 $8,233,365 5 Universal Pictures
4 The War With Grandpa $266,864 -16% 1,080 -205 $247 $17,964,819 10 101 Studios

LIMITED (100 — 999)

# TITLE WEEKEND   LOCATIONS   AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 All My Life $215,000 -42% 965 -5 $223 $695,930 2 Universal Pictures
2 Come Play $176,000 -23% 610 -163 $289 $9,209,715 7 Focus Features
3 Die Hard (2020 re-release) $136,000 -28% 823 -349 $165 $325,000 2  
4 Honest Thief $135,000 -30% 625 -160 $216 $14,020,771 9 Open Road Films
5 How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2020 re-release) $126,000 300 $420 $126,000 1 Universal
6 Tenet $125,000 -31% 478 -54 $262 $57,800,000 15 Warner Bros.
7 Let Him Go $121,000 -42% 765 -348 $158 $9,207,050 6 Focus Features
8 Wild Mountain Thyme $100,466 450 $223 $100,466 1 Bleecker Street
9 Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, CODA: The Death of Michael Corleone $15,000 -73% 156 -23 $96 $87,923 2 Paramount Pictures
10 The New Mutants $11,000 242% 234 204 $47 $23,844,036 16 20th Century Studios
11 The Empty Man $5,000 303% 175 105 $29 $2,987,855 8 20th Century Studios

PLATFORM (1 — 99)

# TITLE WEEKEND   LOCATIONS   AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 Archenemy $55,700 94 $593 $55,700 1 RLJE Films
2 The Forgotten Carols $28,300 -31% 70 2 $404 $399,524 4 Purdie Distribution
Photo Credit: Universal/Dreamworks Animation