Weekend Actuals: The Curse of La Llorona Spooks Up $26.3M at No. 1; ‘Breakthrough’ Breaks Through w/ $11.2M

Monday Update: It’s the calm before the thunder, the weekend before Avengers: Endgame potentially breaks box office records. Warner Bros. horror The Curse of La Llorona debuted on top with $26.3M.

The past two weekends’ leader Shazam! fell -33% to $16.4M for the runner-up spot, while Fox’s drama Breakthrough began in third with $11.2M.

Comparisons

Total box office this weekend was $108.4M.

That’s -2.3% below last weekend and -13.6% below this same weekend last year, when A Quiet Place led with $20.9M.

Year-to-date box office stands at $2.90B. That’s -16.2% behind this same date last year, up from -16.4% after last weekend.

Most analysts are still predicting 2019’s box office to ultimately beat 2018’s, on the strength of this year’s anticipated strong upcoming slate of films, especially sequels.

Demographics

The audience demographics for The Curse of La Llorona and Breakthrough during their opening weekends were not immediately available.

Among the other eight films in the top 10…

The most male audience in this weekend’s top 10 was Hellboy at 67.3%, while the most female audience was Little at 64.3%.

The most under-25 audience in this weekend’s top 10 was Missing Link at 52.6%, while the most over-25 audience was Hellboy at 78.9%.

A full demographic breakdown of the top 30 movies this weekend, courtesy of BoxofficeProfile by Vertigo, is below. (Click to expand.)


Weekend Actuals (Domestic)

FRI, APR. 19 – SUN, APR. 21

WIDE (1000+)

# TITLE WEEKEND   LOCATIONS   AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 The Curse of La Llorona $26,347,631 3,372 $7,814 $26,347,631 1 Warner Bros. / New Line
2 Shazam! $16,464,508 -33% 4,183 -123 $3,936 $120,437,864 3 Warner Bros.
3 Breakthrough $11,282,333 2,764 $4,082 $14,789,258 1 20th Century Fox
4 Captain Marvel $9,105,610 6% 2,653 -322 $3,432 $400,031,743 7 Disney
5 Little (2019) $8,327,435 -46% 2,667 0 $3,122 $29,256,845 2 Universal Pictures
6 Dumbo $6,621,260 -30% 3,225 -481 $2,053 $101,076,170 4 Walt Disney Pictures
7 Pet Sematary $4,863,233 -50% 3,146 -439 $1,546 $49,596,308 3 Paramount Pictures
8 Us (2019) $4,160,050 -39% 2,264 -504 $1,837 $170,341,670 5 Universal Pictures
9 Missing Link $4,157,285 -30% 3,437 24 $1,210 $12,764,526 2 United Artists Releasing
10 Hellboy $3,951,098 -67% 3,303 0 $1,196 $19,747,369 2 Lionsgate / Summit
11 After (2019) $2,381,995 -60% 2,138 0 $1,114 $10,317,144 2 Aviron Pictures
12 Penguins $2,282,593 1,815 $1,258 $3,234,350 1 Disney / Disneynature
13 How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World $817,435 10% 1,062 240 $770 $159,087,575 12 Universal / DreamWorks Animation
14 The Best of Enemies $595,987 -70% 1,002 -703 $595 $9,585,764 3 STX Entertainment

LIMITED (100 — 999)

# TITLE WEEKEND   LOCATIONS   AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 Kalank $1,276,581 320 $3,989 $1,786,766 1 FIP
2 Amazing Grace $603,302 73% 190 132 $3,175 $1,348,118 3 Neon
3 Unplanned $590,086 -67% 839 -563 $703 $17,207,329 4 Pure Flix
4 Five Feet Apart $588,782 -62% 709 -764 $830 $45,040,875 6 CBS Films
5 The Mustang $517,925 -33% 487 -40 $1,064 $4,017,695 6 Focus Features
6 Hotel Mumbai $493,288 -43% 314 -303 $1,571 $8,906,801 5 Bleecker Street
7 Wonder Park $463,765 -42% 705 -467 $658 $44,559,837 6 Paramount
8 High Life $272,127 51% 146 114 $1,864 $668,748 3 A24
9 Teen Spirit $241,943 455% 696 692 $348 $296,763 2 LD Entertainment / Bleecker Street
10 Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral $146,380 -57% 196 -279 $747 $72,982,614 8 Lionsgate
11 The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part $134,228 -35% 222 -50 $605 $105,574,878 13 Warner Bros.
12 Apollo 11 $100,699 -19% 101 -25 $997 $8,475,123 8 Neon
13 Isn’t It Romantic $82,638 -7% 145 37 $570 $48,662,844 10 Warner Bros.
14 The Upside $72,712 -37% 130 -49 $559 $108,144,026 15 STX Entertainment
15 Alita: Battle Angel $69,247 -17% 116 -33 $597 $85,582,008 10 20th Century Fox
16 Gloria Bell $63,990 -56% 100 -68 $640 $5,474,212 7 A24
17 Green Book $49,570 -35% 115 -24 $431 $85,013,886 23 Universal Pictures
18 The Aftermath $49,451 -70% 234 0 $211 $1,561,707 6 Fox Searchlight
19 They Shall Not Grow Old $28,520 -39% 115 -77 $248 $17,918,648 18 Warner Bros.

PLATFORM (1 — 99)

# TITLE WEEKEND   LOCATIONS   AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 No Manches Frida 2 $78,398 -56% 73 -62 $1,074 $9,185,872 6 Lionsgate / Pantelion Films
2 Wild Nights with Emily $65,293 116% 33 30 $1,979 $104,082 2 Greenwich Entertainment
3 Her Smell $64,031 73% 24 21 $2,668 $112,873 2 Gunpowder & Sky
4 Little Woods $57,610 33 $1,746 $57,610 1 Neon
5 Mia and the White Lion $50,317 -74% 67 -245 $751 $358,573 2 Ledafilms Entertainment Group
6 Long Day’s Journey Into Night $48,491 81% 8 5 $6,061 $129,949 2 Kino Lorber
7 Fighting With My Family $39,980 12% 84 -10 $476 $22,854,086 10 MGM
8 Fast Color $37,594 25 $1,504 $37,594 1 Lionsgate
9 Peterloo $36,812 13% 92 60 $400 $116,683 3 Amazon Studios
10 Under the Silver Lake $35,270 2 $17,635 $35,270 1 A24 Films
11 Master Z: Ip Man Legacy $34,622 -63% 32 -29 $1,082 $188,676 2 Well Go USA Entertainment
12 The Beach Bum $34,375 -43% 36 -64 $955 $3,414,873 4 Neon
13 Escape Room $28,301 -54% 27 -17 $1,048 $57,000,756 16 Sony Pictures
14 Transit $26,520 -38% 30 -17 $884 $731,745 8 Music Box Films
15 The Public $26,429 -58% 43 -54 $615 $484,214 3 Greenwich Entertainment
16 Bohemian Rhapsody $20,453 -26% 31 0 $660 $216,287,318 25 20th Century Fox
17 Arctic $20,187 321% 49 38 $412 $2,373,750 12 Bleecker Street
18 Never Look Away $18,108 32% 10 -6 $1,811 $1,229,955 13 Sony Pictures Classics
19 Monty Python’s Life of Brian (40th Anniversary) $18,005 47 $383 $150,180 2 Trafalgar Releasing
20 Rafiki $16,016 6 $2,669 $21,408 1 Film Movement
21 High on the Hog $15,125 5 $3,025 $15,125 1 Indican Pictures
22 CATVIDEOFEST 2019 $13,632 839% 8 5 $1,704 $427,171 10 Oscilloscope
23 Run The Race $12,191 -20% 39 14 $313 $6,412,875 9 Roadside Attractions
24 Capernaum $9,383 31% 11 -3 $853 $1,643,812 19 Sony Pictures Classics
25 Ramen Shop $7,238 -24% 10 2 $724 $41,222 5 Strand Releasing
26 Hagazussa $6,041 11 $549 $6,041 1 Doppelganger Releasing
27 Working Woman $5,121 -57% 3 -4 $1,707 $30,774 4 Zeitgeist
28 Sunset $5,063 -61% 6 -12 $844 $103,776 5 Sony Pictures Classics
29 Sauvage / Wild $4,968 -33% 1 0 $4,968 $20,962 2 Strand Releasing
30 Faith, Hope & Love $4,856 -42% 5 -2 $971 $187,093 6 ArtAffects Entertainment
31 3 Faces $4,711 161% 6 2 $785 $63,081 7 Kino Lorber
32 Iyengar: The Man, Yoga, and the Student’s Journey $4,282 -54% 2 1 $2,141 $17,802 2 Kino Lorber
33 Babylon $3,584 88% 6 2 $597 $76,984 7 Kino Lorber Films
34 The Invisibles $3,534 -54% 6 -4 $589 $395,375 13 Greenwich Entertainment
35 Birds of Passage $3,309 52% 7 -2 $473 $505,476 10 The Orchard
36 Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché $3,237 1 $3,237 $3,237 1 Zeitgeist Films
37 Grass $2,774 1 $2,774 $2,774 1 Cinema Guild
38 Christ Stopped at Eboli $2,394 -68% 1 0 $2,394 $38,874 3 Rialto Pictures
39 The Sower $1,597 2 $799 $33,549 8  
40 Police Story and Police Story 2 $1,388 -65% 1 -1 $1,388 $109,831 12 Janus Films
41 Made Me Do It $1,360 1 $1,360 $5,948 2 Indican Pictures
42 The Hummingbird Project $1,249 -77% 5 -14 $250 $370,949 6 The Orchard
43 Suburban Birds $1,029 132% 2 1 $515 $7,617 3 Cinema Guild
44 Knife+Heart $978 -60% 3 -3 $326 $29,565 6 Altered Innocence
45 The Wild Pear Tree $900 333% 1 0 $900 $30,675 12 Cinema Guild
46 Hotel By The River $805 360% 1 0 $805 $23,765 10 Cinema Guild
47 Stan & Ollie $750 -76% 6 -2 $125 $5,454,843 17 Sony Pictures Classics
48 Styx $652 -63% 2 -1 $326 $61,769 8 Film Movement
49 Hale County This Morning, This Evening $625 1 $625 $112,300 32 Cinema Guild
50 Sorry Angel $527 -54% 1 -1 $527 $30,339 10 Strand Releasing
51 Off Season $465 0% 1 0 $465 $11,005 6 Indican Pictures
52 Screwball $449 3 $150 $13,576 4 Greenwich Entertainment
53 Virginia Minnesota $325 1 $325 $15,482 8 Indican Pictures
54 The Last Resort $211 -56% 2 1 $106 $156,850 18 Kino Lober Films
55 Ruben Brandt, Collector $135 -75% 3 -6 $45 $113,757 10 Sony Pictures Classics

Sunday Update:  In another quiet weekend before the coming storm of Avengers: Endgame, Warner Bros./New Line captured the No. 1 spot for the third weekend in a row with The Curse of La Llorona, which rode the horror wave to an estimated $26.5 million in its debut. Elsewhere, Disney’s release of Fox’s Breakthrough (the first Fox title to hit the market following the finalization of Disney’s acquisition of the studio) also performed well in its opening, while Disneynature’s latest documentary Penguins came in below expectations.

Marketed as being “from the producers of the Conjuring Universe,” The Curse of La Llorona certainly benefitted from its connection to one of the genre’s most popular franchises. The stronger-than-expected opening even came in a couple notches above the Stephen King adaptation Pet Sematary, which debuted to $24.5 million just three weeks ago. Though reviews were underwhelming, the film’s 32% Rotten Tomatoes average didn’t deter hardcore Conjuring fans, who also powered last year’s critically-panned The Nun to a $53.8 million opening. The Cinemascore on this one was a “B-,” which is decent for the genre, though with Endgame waiting in the wings La Llorona is almost certainly a one-weekend wonder. It’s worth noting that the film’s appeal to Latinx audiences may also have been a factor in its success this weekend.

Falling to second place after two weekends at No. 1 was the superhero comedy Shazam!, which held up remarkably well with an estimated $17.3 million in its third weekend of release. That’s a drop of just 29% for the DCEU installment, which now has a robust $121.3 million. The film will no doubt take a bigger hit when Endgame saturates the box office next weekend, but luckily Shazam! made the most of its three-week window.

In third, the faith-based drama Breakthrough took advantage of the Easter holiday and brought in an estimated $11.1 million, a healthy opening that fell more or less in line with expectations. That’s a couple ticks lower than Miracles from Heaven, which brought in $14.8 million over Easter weekend 2016. Nonetheless, this ranks as the best opening for a Christian-themed release since I Can Only Image debuted to $17.1 million last March.

Breakthrough had a number of things going for it, including a well-known cast (This Is Us star Chrissy Metz, Josh Lucas, Topher Grace), decent reviews (it has a 64% Rotten Tomatoes average), the extended holiday frame, and the fact that many schoolchildren were out on Spring Break last week. The film, which got a jump-start on the weekend by opening on Wednesday, now has a total of $14.6 million. Audiences awarded it an “A” Cinemascore, suggesting it will enjoy strong-word-of-mouth going forward.

Rising two spots to fourth place thanks to excitement over the imminent release of Avengers: Endgame was Disney’s Captain Marvel, which grossed an estimated $9.1 million in its seventh weekend of release. Last week, the superhero blockbuster surpassed Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 to become the seventh highest-grossing MCU release in North America, and this weekend’s gross (somewhat conveniently) tipped it just past the $400 million mark, which also makes it the seventh MCU release to hit that benchmark. Captain Marvel will now almost certainly outgross both Captain America: Civil War ($408 million) and Iron Man 3 ($409 million) by the end of its run to land at No. 5 on the list of all-time MCU installments.

Fifth place went to Little, the Will Packer-produced fantasy-comedy that opened to a healthy $15.4 million last weekend. The Universal release held well in weekend two, dipping 45% to an estimated $8.45 million. That brings its total to a good $29.3 million after ten days of release.

Dumbo held well over Easter weekend, falling to sixth with an estimated $6.8 million in its fourth weekend of release, a drop of just 27% from last weekend. That brings the total for the Disney live-action remake to $101.3 million so far. In seventh place, Pet Sematary grossed an estimated $4.85 million for a total of $49.5 million after three weeks, while eighth went to UA’s Missing Link, which dropped just 26% to an estimated $4.36 million in its second weekend. Despite that solid hold, the latest stop-motion release from Laika stands at a disappointing $12.3 million.

Rounding out the Top 10, Universal’s Us brought in an estimated $4.26 million in ninth place for a total of $170.4 million after six weeks, while tenth went to last weekend’s newcomer Hellboy, which plummeted 67% in its second weekend to an estimated $3.88 million. The Lionsgate/Summit release has just $19.6 million in its first ten days, marking the reported $50 million production as one of the most notable disappointments of the season.

Falling outside the Top 10 with an estimated $2.3 million was Penguins, which notched the lowest-ever debut for a Disneynature release despite opening on 1,812 screens (the second-highest of the series). Indeed, it made only around half of what the previous lowest-grosser Monkey Kingdom managed in its $4.5 million debut on the same weekend four years ago. Like Breakthrough, Penguins got an early jump on the weekend, bringing its total to $3.3 million since opening on Wednesday.

Limited Release:

A24’s Under the Silver Lake debuted on two screens this weekend and brought in an estimated $40K, giving it a per-screen average of roughly $20K. The new film from It Follows director David Robert Mitchell – which the studio itself describes as “polarizing” (its Rotten Tomatoes average is 53%) – expands into more markets next weekend while simultaneously debuting on home entertainment platforms.

Overseas Update:

The Curse of La Llorona took in an estimated $30 million in 71 overseas markets this weekend, making it the No. 1 film internationally. Totals in key Latin American markets included $5.3 million in Mexico and $2.4 million in Colombia.

Shazam! grossed an estimated $22 million, bringing its international cume to an excellent $201.5 million and its worldwide total to $322.8 million. Top market tallies so far include China with $43.5 million, the U.K. with $15.4 million and Mexico with $14.2 million.

With an estimated $6.5 million overseas this weekend, Captain Marvel has now become the eighth highest-grossing superhero release of all time globally with $1.0985B. Its international gross now stands at $689.5 million.

Finally, Dumbo grossed an estimated $13.7 million internationally, bringing its overseas cume to $206.6 million and its worldwide total to $307.9 million, albeit off a steep $170 million reported budget.


Studio Weekend Estimates (Domestic)

FRI, APR. 19 – SUN, APR. 21

WIDE (1000+)

# TITLE WEEKEND   LOCATIONS   AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 The Curse of La Llorona $26,505,000 3,372 $7,860 $26,505,000 1 Warner Bros. / New Line
2 Shazam! $17,340,000 -29% 4,183 -123 $4,145 $121,341,951 3 Warner Bros.
3 Breakthrough $11,100,000 2,824 $3,931 $14,606,925 1 20th Century Fox
4 Captain Marvel $9,100,000 6% 2,653 -322 $3,430 $400,026,133 7 Disney
5 Little (2019) $8,450,000 -45% 2,667 0 $3,168 $29,379,410 2 Universal Pictures
6 Dumbo $6,800,000 -28% 3,225 -481 $2,109 $101,254,910 4 Walt Disney Pictures
7 Pet Sematary $4,850,000 -50% 3,146 -439 $1,542 $49,583,075 3 Paramount Pictures
8 Missing Link $4,369,756 -26% 3,437 24 $1,271 $12,976,997 2 United Artists Releasing
9 Us (2019) $4,260,000 -37% 2,264 -504 $1,882 $170,441,620 5 Universal Pictures
10 Hellboy $3,880,000 -68% 3,303 0 $1,175 $19,676,271 2 Lionsgate / Summit
11 After (2019) $2,500,000 -58% 2,138 0 $1,169 $10,435,149 2 Aviron Pictures
12 Penguins $2,347,000 1,815 $1,293 $3,298,757 1 Disney / Disneynature
13 How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World $835,000 12% 1,062 240 $786 $159,105,140 12 Universal / DreamWorks Animation
14 The Best of Enemies $610,000 -70% 1,002 -703 $609 $9,599,777 3 STX Entertainment

LIMITED (100 — 999)

# TITLE WEEKEND   LOCATIONS   AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 Kalank $1,253,000 320 $3,916 $1,763,185 1 FIP
2 Unplanned $650,000 -63% 839 -563 $775 $17,267,243 4 Pure Flix
3 Five Feet Apart $635,000 -59% 709 -764 $896 $45,087,093 6 CBS Films
4 Amazing Grace $591,642 69% 188 130 $3,147 $1,336,458 3 Neon
5 Hotel Mumbai $494,504 -43% 314 -303 $1,575 $8,908,017 5 Bleecker Street
6 Wonder Park $480,000 -40% 705 -467 $681 $44,576,072 6 Paramount
7 High Life $292,000 62% 146 114 $2,000 $688,621 3 A24
8 Teen Spirit $250,536 474% 696 692 $360 $305,356 2 LD Entertainment / Bleecker Street
9 Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral $153,000 -55% 196 -279 $781 $72,989,234 8 Lionsgate
10 Gloria Bell $76,000 -48% 100 -68 $760 $5,486,222 7 A24
11 The Upside $70,000 -40% 130 -49 $538 $108,141,314 15 STX Entertainment

PLATFORM (1 — 99)

# TITLE WEEKEND   LOCATIONS   AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 The Chaperone $86,420 55 $1,571 $222,854 4 PBS Distribution
2 No Manches Frida 2 $70,000 -61% 73 -62 $959 $9,177,474 6 Lionsgate / Pantelion Films
3 Her Smell $68,736 86% 24 21 $2,864 $117,577 2 Gunpowder & Sky
4 Diane $53,184 -25% 59 -5 $901 $271,271 4 IFC Films
5 The Aftermath $53,000 -68% 85 -149 $624 $1,565,256 6 Fox Searchlight
6 Long Day’s Journey Into Night $48,430 81% 7 4 $6,919 $129,888 2 Kino Lorber
7 Under the Silver Lake $40,157 2 $20,079 $40,157 1 A24 Films
8 Peterloo $38,065 17% 92 60 $414 $117,936 3 Amazon Studios
9 Fast Color $37,500 25 $1,500 $37,500 1 Lionsgate
10 Mary Magdalene $35,382 -24% 38 -24 $931 $114,280 2 IFC Films
11 Hail Satan? $25,700 3 $8,567 $25,700 1 Magnolia Pictures
12 Transit $24,711 -42% 29 -18 $852 $729,936 8 Music Box Films
13 Never Look Away $18,375 34% 10 -6 $1,838 $1,230,222 13 Sony Pictures Classics
14 Girls of the Sun $5,752 -26% 10 3 $575 $16,886 2 Cohen Media Group
15 Ash is Purest White $5,749 -78% 15 -9 $383 $5,749 6 Cohen Media Group
16 Faith, Hope & Love $5,033 -40% 5 -2 $1,007 $187,270 6 ArtAffects Entertainment
17 Birds of Passage $4,450 105% 7 -2 $636 $506,617 10 The Orchard
18 Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché $3,801 1 $3,801 $3,801 1 Zeitgeist Films
19 The Hummingbird Project $1,533 -72% 5 -14 $307 $371,233 6 The Orchard

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