Weekend Box Office Key Insights: Joker Holds Strong, Parasite Sets 2019 PSA Benchmark

Parasite Sets 2019’s Per-Screen Average Benchmark

Neon’s genre-bending thriller from director Bong Joon-Ho opened to $384,216 in only three theaters. Its $128,072 per-screen average is not only the best of the year so far, beating The Farewell in July with $88,916, but also the best in almost three years, since La La Land with $176,221 in December 2016. Parasite also earned the best opening weekend average ever for a non-English film in the U.S. 

Joker Holds Well, Leading the Box Office in its Sophomore Frame

The film declined only -41.9% in its second weekend. That’s much milder than for other comparable R-rated superhero (or superhero-adjacent) titles, including -54.6% for Venom, -56.9% for Logan, -57.4% for Deadpool, and -67.7% for Watchmen. This reflects positive word of mouth for Joker, including potential awards buzz.

WB Breaks Out (Thanks to Killer Clowns)

While Disney is the year’s box office winner by a long shot, Warner Bros. and Universal had been trading spaces for second place since late April. Universal had been leading, then Warner Bros. bested them in mid-May, until mid-August when Universal took the lead again. But starting last week with Joker, Warner Bros. once again reclaimed the silver medal. As the lead extended this weekend, coupled with Universal’s lack of a huge hit the rest of the year (barring an unexpected surprise), Warner Bros. may have claimed second place for good.

The Addams Family Surprises.

United Artists’ animated horror-comedy began in second place with $30.0M, higher than most pre-release projections which had it in the low-to-mid 20s. Among family-friendly comps, it bested the openings of ParaNorman with $14.0M, Coraline with $16.8M, Goosebumps with $23.6M, or last year’s Haunted Halloween with $15.8M.

The Year So Far.

Year-to-date (YTD) box office slipped slightly, from -5.4% after last weekend to -5.5% now. Look for the comparative measurement to dip again next weekend, as last year’s equivalent frame saw the huge opening of Halloween. November and December will likely provide some uptick, with sequels to Star Wars, Frozen, and Jumanji — though it remains unlikely 2019 will actually overtake 2018’s YTD by year’s end. 

Monday’s Weekend Actuals (Domestic)

FRI, OCT. 11 – SUN, OCT. 13

#TITLEWEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG.TOTALWKS.DIST.
1Joker$55,861,403-42%4,3740$12,771$193,590,1902Warner Bros.
2The Addams Family$30,300,0074,007$7,562$30,300,0071United Artists Releasing
3Gemini Man$20,552,3723,642$5,643$20,552,3721Paramount Pictures
4Abominable$6,072,235-49%3,496-752$1,737$47,873,5853Universal Pictures
5Downton Abbey$4,881,075-39%3,019-529$1,617$82,668,6654Focus Features
6Hustlers$3,887,018-39%2,357-673$1,649$98,052,3575STX Entertainment
7Judy$3,217,960-30%1,627169$1,978$14,936,8113Roadside Attractions / LD Entertainment
8It Chapter Two$3,136,415-41%2,303-860$1,362$207,046,8396Warner Bros
9Jexi$3,106,7302,332$1,332$3,106,7301Lionsgate / CBS / Entertainment One
10Ad Astra$1,877,925-55%1,678-1232$1,119$46,966,357420th Century Fox
11Rambo: Last Blood$1,499,971-58%1,831-1069$819$42,860,5574Lionsgate
12The Lion King$684,9620%1,687653$406$542,287,66313Walt Disney Pictures
#TITLEWEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG.TOTALWKS.DIST.
1Good Boys$339,245-62%374-632$907$82,754,0559Universal Pictures
2The Peanut Butter Falcon$275,027-43%304-319$905$19,510,03310Roadside Attractions
3Scary Stories to Tell In The Dark$245,529-48%346-231$710$67,921,78310CBS Films / Lionsgate
4Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice$205,949-29%168-36$1,226$3,175,1686Greenwich Entertainment
5Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw$185,845-66%301-381$617$173,535,19511Universal Pictures
6Overcomer$167,192-60%298-374$561$34,305,9678Sony Pictures
7Toy Story 4$159,493-31%189-54$844$433,560,47317Disney
8Angel Has Fallen$146,200-74%288-543$508$68,718,6758Lionsgate
9Metallica and San Francisco Symphony: S&M²$144,736157$922$907,1631Trafalgar Releasing
10Dora and the Lost City of Gold$140,531-59%224-257$627$60,287,45110Paramount Pictures
11Once Upon a Time In Hollywood$100,845-53%113-143$892$139,713,53412Sony Pictures
12The Angry Birds Movie 2$86,414-35%169-79$511$41,445,4669Sony Pictures
13Lucy In The Sky$78,45145%198161$396$160,0632Fox Searchlight
14Brittany Runs A Marathon$66,958-66%110-238$609$6,977,7868Amazon Studios
15Spider-Man: Far from Home$59,735-53%133-80$449$390,470,12915Sony / Columbia
16High Strung Free Dance$54,601106$515$54,6011GVN Releasing
#TITLEWEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG.TOTALWKS.DIST.
1Parasite$384,2163$128,072$384,2161NEON
2My People, My Country$303,542-65%8316$3,657$2,139,3592CMC
3Pain and Glory$271,84678%2319$11,819$557,8032Sony Pictures Classics
4Where’s My Roy Cohn?$91,75015%5731$1,610$351,4094Sony Pictures Classics
5Fantastic Fungi$64,601265%63$10,767$144,6494Area 23a
647 Meters Down: Uncaged$48,821-50%99-46$493$22,194,5599Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures
7The Climbers$45,642-71%29-73$1,574$452,1032Well Go USA Entertainment
8The Art of Racing in the Rain$44,357-10%89-14$498$26,321,3651020th Century Fox
9Promare$42,546-48%22-16$1,934$1,349,1964GKIDS
10Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins$34,1862%404$855$526,9217Magnolia Pictures
11Official Secrets$33,841-39%43-57$787$1,882,9117IFC Films
12The Farewell$33,353-12%39-1$855$17,622,68014A24
13First Love$33,010-42%400$825$159,3093Well Go USA Entertainment
14Battle of Jangsari$29,723248%2018$1,486$43,3752Well Go USA Entertainment
15Aladdin$28,937-46%73-32$396$355,516,48521Disney
16Ready or Not$27,147-54%52-73$522$28,675,5348Fox Searchlight
17Monos$22,765-29%505$455$330,0135Neon
18The Goldfinch$21,659-43%860$252$5,300,2615Warner Bros.
19Miles Davis: Birth of The Cool$20,891-21%16-1$1,306$520,5568Abramorama
20Mister America$10,0902$5,045$120,9781Magnolia Pictures
21Honeyland$8,834-50%24-7$368$672,38812Neon
22Maiden$7,69249%7-14$1,099$3,144,80416Sony Pictures Classics
23Moonlight Sonata: Deafness in Three Movements$7,6256589%43$1,906$25,9755Abramorama
24Union$7,3382835%65$1,223$27,85311Indican Pictures
25Give Me Liberty$6,687160%103$669$199,8468Music Box Films
26The Dead Center$6,01610$602$6,0161Matson Films
27David Crosby: Remember My Name$4,5983%10-3$460$710,53513Sony Pictures Classics
28Gift$4,2552$2,128$4,2551Matson Films
29Beloved Beast$3,8943$1,298$3,8941Indican Pictures
30Aquarela$3,892-69%17-10$229$285,6779Sony Pictures Classics
31The Ground Beneath My Feet$3,0001887%32$1,000$25,76312Strand Releasing
32Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles$2,282-47%113$207$526,3088Roadside Attractions / Samuel Goldwyn Films
33End of the Century$1,991-39%3-1$664$42,4619 
34Desolation Center$1,462-7%7-3$209$24,0265Matson Films
35Ága$1,381-59%30$460$18,2606Big World Pictures
36A Faithful Man$1,2171252%10$1,217$77,77613Kino Lorber
37100 Acres of Hell$9971$997$9971Indican Pictures
38Free Trip To Egypt$88281%21$441$49,58920Matson Films
39Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am$801-43%30$267$901,59717Magnolia Pictures
40Cold Case Hammarskjöld$773-37%1-1$773$104,9659Magnolia Pictures
41The Other Story$6711$671$129,62816Strand Releasing
42After The Wedding$614-10%4-3$154$1,564,26510Sony Pictures Classics
43Anthropocene: The Human Epoch$497-92%2-4$249$95,8013Kino Lorber
44Edie$473-61%1-2$473$55,2026Music Box Films
45The Mountain$350483%10$350$60,88012Kino Lorber
46I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians$129-85%1-1$129$10,70313Big World Pictures
47Wrinkles the Clown$129-98%3-18$43$12,2482Magnolia Pictures / Magnet Releasing
48Echo In the Canyon$87-96%1-3$87$3,353,47121Greenwich Entertainment
49Chained for Life$54-90%10$54$14,3145Kino Lorber Films