Weekend Actuals: ‘Ralph Breaks the Internet’ Stays on Top w/ $16.2M; ‘Grinch’ a Close 2nd w/ $15.0M

Monday Update: In a weekend that constituted the calm before the storm, prior to a ton of wide releases premiering in the second half of December, Disney’s Ralph Breaks the Internet led for a third straight frame with $16.2M.

The animated sequel dropped -36.4% from last weekend and has earned $140.9M through 19 days, or +11.4% ahead of the original Wreck-It Ralph through the same point. However, adjusted for ticket price inflation, the sequel is actually running -1.8% behind.

Universal’s animated Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch took the runner-up position, though by a much narrower margin than last weekend, declining only -16.1% to $15.0M.

It’s now earned $223.3M through 31 days, which is ahead of the other two animated Dr. Seuss-based films The Lorax and Horton Hears a Who! through the same points.

Elsewhere at the box office:

  • Universal’s drama Green Book continues to benefit from strong word of mouth and increasing awards buzz, as the film declines only -0.7% to $3.9M. That’s extremely close to actually earning more this weekend than last weekend, a nearly unheard-of feat for a film in its third frame of wide release.
  • Focus Features’ Mary Queen of Scots earned the top per-theater average, with $194K in four theaters for a $48,964 average.
  • Fox Searchlight’s The Favourite, which two weekends debuted with the best per-theater average since La La Land in December 2016, had a slight theater expansion to 91 screens and earned $1.4M, good for 12th place.
  • The one “new” wide release this weekend was the 25th anniversary re-release of Schindler’s List, 1993’s Best Picture Oscar winner, which earned $566K. While the film’s hard R rating renders this comparison somewhat inexact, that’s less than one-third of the $1.76M that Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind debuted with during its September 2017 re-release.

Comparisons

Total box office this weekend was $84.0M.

That’s -29.2% below last weekend but +1.3% above this same weekend last year, when Coco led for a third frame with $18.4M.

Year-to-date box office stands at $10.97B. That’s +10.3% ahead of this same date last year, down from +10.5% after last weekend.

Demographics

The most male audience in this weekend’s top 10 was Robin Hood at 65.8%, while the most female audience was Instant Family at 64.3%.

The most under-25 audience in this weekend’s top 10 was Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch at 54.2%, while the most over-25 audience was Green Book at 93.4%.

A full demographic breakdown of the top 30 movies this weekend, courtesy of BoxofficeProfile by Vertigo, is below:

Our full table of weekend actuals is below, followed by our Sunday update featuring fuller analysis.


Monday’s Weekend Actuals (Domestic)

FRI, DEC. 7 – SUN, DEC. 9

WIDE (1000+)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 Ralph Breaks the Internet $16,253,831 -36% 3,795 -222 $4,283 $140,971,716 3 Disney
2 Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch $15,039,050 -16% 3,841 -93 $3,915 $223,324,225 5 Universal
3 Creed II $9,975,167 -40% 3,752 176 $2,659 $96,124,564 3 MGM / Warner Bros
4 Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald $6,953,846 -39% 3,451 -400 $2,015 $145,356,370 4 Warner Bros.
5 Bohemian Rhapsody $6,141,666 -23% 2,953 -54 $2,080 $173,710,836 6 20th Century Fox
6 Instant Family $5,756,311 -20% 3,426 50 $1,680 $54,317,053 4 Paramount Pictures
7 Green Book $3,905,030 -1% 1,181 116 $3,307 $19,946,941 4 Universal Pictures
8 Robin Hood $3,531,994 -26% 2,573 -254 $1,373 $27,236,187 3 Lionsgate / Summit
9 The Possession of Hannah Grace $3,170,546 -50% 2,298 233 $1,380 $11,502,095 2 Sony / Screen Gems
10 Widows $3,150,274 -28% 2,161 -232 $1,458 $38,206,080 4 20th Century Fox
11 A Star is Born $2,454,068 34% 1,631 550 $1,505 $197,042,665 10 Warner Bros.
12 The Nutcracker and the Four Realms $1,101,376 -18% 1,170 -222 $941 $52,681,570 6 Walt Disney Pictures
13 Schindler’s List 25th Anniversary $566,760 1,029 $551 $566,760 1 Universal Pictures

LIMITED (100 — 999)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 Boy Erased $421,940 -30% 622 -38 $678 $6,335,167 6 Focus Features
2 At Eternity’s Gate $319,925 72% 174 126 $1,839 $1,081,140 4 CBS Films
3 Venom $307,314 -19% 388 -37 $792 $212,718,480 10 Sony / Columbia
4 Nobody’s Fool $258,179 -32% 368 -17 $702 $31,472,953 6 Paramount
5 Can You Ever Forgive Me? $255,987 -24% 265 -7 $966 $6,988,861 8 Fox Searchlight
6 Overlord $255,142 -37% 391 -142 $653 $21,475,551 5 Paramount Pictures
7 The Wife $208,756 19575% 421 415 $496 $7,997,873 17 Sony Pictures Classics
8 Mirai $199,820 216% 742 671 $269 $672,652 2 GKIDS
9 Smallfoot $172,519 -17% 238 -27 $725 $82,420,471 11 Warner Bros.
10 The Hate U Give $138,644 -28% 235 -15 $590 $29,430,036 10 20th Century Fox
11 The Front Runner $109,428 -60% 409 -398 $268 $1,913,855 5 Sony / Columbia
12 Maria By Callas $103,168 -11% 149 80 $692 $1,041,087 6 Sony Pictures Classics
13 Beautiful Boy $101,712 -36% 196 -11 $519 $7,424,748 9 Amazon
14 The Old Man & The Gun $86,500 8% 136 22 $636 $11,051,784 11 Fox Searchlight
15 Night School $80,910 -20% 135 10 $599 $77,111,015 11 Universal
16 First Man $58,330 -22% 121 -15 $482 $44,774,405 9 Universal
17 The Girl in the Spider’s Web $52,037 -41% 152 -44 $342 $14,777,868 5 Sony / Columbia
18 Halloween (2018) $49,565 -12% 138 8 $359 $159,260,840 8 Universal Pictures
19 The House With A Clock In Its Walls $43,890 -26% 114 -13 $385 $68,430,975 12 Universal Pictures
20 Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween $20,880 -84% 130 -741 $161 $46,682,298 9 Sony

PLATFORM (1 — 99)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 The Favourite $1,496,143 40% 91 57 $16,441 $3,534,789 3 Fox Searchlight
2 Mary Queen of Scots $194,777 4 $48,694 $194,777 1 Focus Features
3 Anna And The Apocalypse $142,199 170% 46 41 $3,091 $215,331 2 Orion Pictures
4 Shoplifters $107,267 10% 36 22 $2,980 $393,600 3 Magnolia Pictures
5 Ben Is Back $80,733 4 $20,183 $80,733 1 Roadside Attractions / LD Entertainment / Lionsgate
6 A Cool Fish $56,312 -44% 34 -2 $1,656 $465,328 4 China Lion Film
7 Border $53,720 -34% 74 1 $726 $669,892 7 Neon
8 Burning $34,141 11% 26 6 $1,313 $483,834 7 Well Go USA Entertainment
9 A Private War $24,006 -51% 35 -31 $686 $1,569,014 6 Aviron Pictures
10 Suspiria $23,835 -24% 33 0 $722 $2,445,453 7 Amazon Studios
11 Crazy Rich Asians $22,486 -43% 78 -40 $288 $173,985,442 17 Warner Bros.
12 Wildlife $20,398 -65% 44 -17 $464 $982,055 8 IFC Films
13 Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes $18,833 15 $1,256 $18,833 1 Magnolia Pictures
14 Incredibles 2 $18,598 -37% 66 -27 $282 $608,574,642 26 Disney
15 Unstoppable $17,518 -58% 14 -8 $1,251 $84,235 2 Well Go USA Entertainment
16 Mid90s $14,972 -38% 18 -6 $832 $7,341,643 8 A24
17 The Tag Along: The Devil Fish $10,974 8 $1,372 $10,974 1 China Lion Film
18 Swimming with Men $10,844 31 $350 $10,844 1 IFC Films
19 Becoming Astrid $10,038 -47% 15 0 $669 $52,049 3 Music Box Films
20 Tyrel $6,059 5 $1,212 $6,059 1 Magnolia Pictures
21 Gosnell: The Trial Of America’s Biggest Serial Killer $4,433 269% 11 3 $403 $3,671,765 9 GVN Releasing
22 The Happy Prince $4,236 3% 8 0 $530 $462,720 9 Sony Pictures Classics
23 The Charmer $4,128 1 $4,128 $5,634 1 Film Movement
24 Kusama – Infinity $2,732 100% 2 0 $1,366 $360,227 14 Magnolia Pictures
25 Tea With the Dames $2,650 -55% 7 -7 $379 $854,072 12 IFC Films
26 The Sisters Brothers $2,649 -57% 9 4 $294 $3,135,006 12 Annapurna Pictures
27 Liyana $2,396 279% 1 0 $2,396 $19,228 9 Abramorama
28 The Guilty $2,311 -65% 7 2 $330 $206,203 8 Magnolia Pictures
29 Wings of Desire (2018 re-release) $2,100 -33% 1 0 $2,100 $105,059 8 Janus Films
30 Indivisible $1,751 7 $250 $3,495,484 7 Pure Flix
31 El Ángel $1,605 -81% 4 0 $401 $93,023 5 The Orchard
32 Chef Flynn $1,504 -89% 4 -4 $376 $60,397 5 Kino Lorber Films
33 Detour (2018 re-release) $1,008 -80% 1 0 $1,008 $10,291 2 Janus Films
34 Sicilian Ghost Story $979 -77% 1 0 $979 $7,063 2 Strand Releasing
35 Studio 54 $905 9% 4 3 $226 $186,813 10 Zeitgeist Films
36 Weed the People $484 -51% 1 -1 $484 $12,559 7 Mangurama
37 The Apparition $451 1 $451 $27,436 14 Music Box Films
38 Hale County This Morning, This Evening $419 852% 1 0 $419 $36,419 13 Cinema Guild
39 Senso $374 -80% 2 0 $187 $25,352 7 Rialto Pictures
40 Narcissister Organ Player $334 10% 2 0 $167 $13,589 5 Film Movement
41 The Rider $210 -86% 10 1 $21 $2,418,679 35 Sony Pictures Classics
42 Of Fathers and Sons $144 11% 2 1 $72 $6,271 3 Kino Lorber
43 Weightless $124 33% 2 -1 $62 $4,227 5 Paladin
44 Let the Corpses Tan $102 1 $102 $93,409 15 Kino Lorber
45 1945 $64 1 $64 $1,005,555 58 Menemsha Films

Sunday Update: Another slow frame at the North American box office saw the Top 6 films remain unchanged from last weekend, with only one new semi-wide release – actually a re-release of Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List – making its way to theaters. Ralph Breaks the Internet retained the top spot with an estimated $16.1 million in its third weekend of release, while holdovers including Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch and Creed II also boasting strong holds.

Dipping roughly 36% from its gross last weekend, Ralph Breaks the Internet (now a Golden Globe nominee for Best Animated Film) now stands at $140.9 million in North America after 19 days of release, putting it roughly 14% ahead of its predecessor Wreck-It Ralph at the same point in its run. It’s currently the fourth-highest grossing animated film of 2018 after Incredibles 2, Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch, and Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation. The Disney sequel may well take a sizable hit next weekend when the highly-anticipated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse swings into theaters.

Second place again went to Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch, which brought in an estimated $15.1 million in its fifth weekend. That’s a drop of just 15% from its gross last weekend, giving the Universal title a total of $223.4 million to date. With still over three weeks to go until New Year’s, the animated comedy should continue to boast impressive holds through the end of the holiday season.

Creed II again finished in third with an estimated $10.3 million, bringing the boxing sequel’s total to $96.4 million after 19 days. The follow-up is now pacing 18% ahead of the first Creed, which finished its run with a total of $109.7 million in North America.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald remained in fourth place with an estimated $6.8 million in its fourth weekend, bringing the total for the fantasy sequel to $145.2 million so far. Grindelwald continues to pace significantly behind the first Fantastic Beasts, which had brought in $198.9 million by the same point in its run.

Bohemian Rhapsody continued its incredible run in fifth place with an estimated $6 million in its sixth weekend of release, bringing the musical biopic to $173.5 million to date. The film received another boost last week due to its two Golden Globe nominations, for Best Motion Picture – Drama and Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama for star Rami Malek.

Sixth place went to Instant Family, which brought in an estimated $5.6 million in its fourth weekend of release. That’s a small drop of just 21%, continuing the family dramedy’s sturdy run. It now $54.1 million in the bank.

Expanding to over 100 more theaters this weekend was Universal’s Green Book, which scored five Golden Globe nominations, including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and acting nods for stars Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali. With an estimated $3.94 million – roughly even with last weekend’s gross – the crowd-pleasing title has obviously continued to generate strong word-of-mouth. Its total is $19.9 million to date.

The Possession of Hannah Grace finished in eighth place in its second weekend, bringing in an estimated $3.17 million. The Sony horror film now has $11.4 million to date, putting it in roughly the same ballpark as last year’s Flatliners remake, which had grossed $12.5 million by the same point in its run.

Rounding out the Top 10, Robin Hood brought in an estimated $3.5 million in ninth place, giving the big-budget Lionsgate title just $27.2 million after 19 days of release. In tenth, the heist thriller Widows brought in an estimated $3.1 million for a total of $38.1 million so far.

Landing just outside the Top 10 was Fox Searchlight’s The Favourite, which brought in an estimated $1.43 million in its expansion to 90 locations, a per-screen average of $15,714. The acclaimed period satire has been ranking high on many critics’ year-end Top 10 lists and was nominated for five Golden Globes last week, including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. It has $3.46 million so far and is slated to expand to over 500 locations next weekend.

Also outside the Top 10 was the re-release of Schindler’s List, the 1993 Holocaust drama directed by Steven Spielberg that was fully remastered for this 25th anniversary re-release. The film brought in an estimated $551K from 1,029 theaters and was also screened free for close to 10,000 students in partnership with USC’s Shoah Foundation. The film grossed over $96 million during its original run and also won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Limited Release:

Roadside Attractions’ Ben Is Back opened to an estimated $80K on four screens, giving the Julia Roberts-Lucas Hedges drama a per-screen average of $20K.

Mary Queen of Scots opened to an estimated $200K on four screens, giving the Focus Features historical drama a $50K per-screen average. The film stars Saoirse Ronan as the title character and Margot Robbie as Queen Elizabeth I. Reviews for the film have been mixed-to-positive; it currently has a 68% “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Debuting in six theaters, NEON’s Vox Lux brought in an estimated $162K, representing an okay per-screen average of $27K. The Natalie Portman film, a satirical drama about an internationally-famous pop star, currently has a 66% “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Overseas Update:

Arguably the biggest story this weekend was the fantastic debut of Aquaman in China, which grossed $93.6 million on approximately 33,000 screens two weeks ahead of its release in the U.S. That represents the largest opening weekend ever for a Warner Bros. title in the country, as well as the largest opening weekend there for a DC title. You can read a more in-depth analysis of the numbers here.

Universal’s Mortal Engines opened in 43 international markets this weekend ahead of its U.S. release, bringing in an estimated $17.9 million. The Peter Jackson co-written and produced YA actioner opens Stateside on December 14.

Ralph Breaks the Internet brought in $18 million overseas, bringing its international total to $117.3 million and its worldwide cume to $258.2 million.

Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch grossed an estimated $25.9 million in 63 territories, bringing its international cume to $98.9 million and its global tally to $322.4 million.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald grossed an estimated $22 million overseas this weekend, bringing its international cume to $423.3 million and its global total to $568.5 million.

Bohemian Rhapsody grossed an estimated $29.2 million overseas this weekend, bringing its international total to $423 million. That makes it Fox International’s highest-grossing film of 2018, surpassing Deadpool 2‘s $417.9 million total internationally. Its global cume is a stunning $596.5 million.


Sunday’s Studio Weekend Estimates (Domestic)

FRI, DEC. 7 – SUN, DEC. 9

WIDE (1000+)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 Ralph Breaks the Internet $16,141,000 -37% 3,795 -222 $4,253 $140,858,885 3 Disney
2 Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch $15,180,000 -15% 3,841 -93 $3,952 $223,465,175 5 Universal
3 Creed II $10,322,515 -38% 3,752 176 $2,751 $96,471,912 3 MGM / Warner Bros
4 Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald $6,805,000 -40% 3,451 -400 $1,972 $145,207,524 4 Warner Bros.
5 Bohemian Rhapsody $6,000,000 -25% 2,953 -54 $2,032 $173,569,170 6 20th Century Fox
6 Instant Family $5,600,000 -22% 3,426 50 $1,635 $54,160,742 4 Paramount Pictures
7 Green Book $3,940,000 0% 1,181 116 $3,336 $19,981,911 4 Universal Pictures
8 Robin Hood $3,585,000 -25% 2,573 -254 $1,393 $27,289,193 3 Lionsgate / Summit
9 The Possession of Hannah Grace $3,175,000 -50% 2,298 233 $1,382 $11,506,549 2 Sony / Screen Gems
10 Widows $3,100,000 -30% 2,161 -232 $1,435 $38,155,806 4 20th Century Fox
11 A Star is Born $2,530,000 38% 1,631 550 $1,551 $197,118,597 10 Warner Bros.
12 The Nutcracker and the Four Realms $979,000 -27% 1,170 -222 $837 $52,559,194 6 Walt Disney Pictures
13 Schindler’s List 25th Anniversary $551,000 1,029 $535 $551,000 1 Universal Pictures

LIMITED (100 — 999)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 Boy Erased $420,000 -30% 622 -38 $675 $6,333,227 6 Focus Features
2 At Eternity’s Gate $310,000 66% 174 126 $1,782 $1,071,215 4 CBS Films
3 Nobody’s Fool $255,000 -33% 368 -17 $693 $31,469,774 6 Paramount
4 Free Solo $252,641 -12% 182 24 $1,388 $10,510,592 11 National Geographic Entertainment
5 Overlord $250,000 -38% 391 -142 $639 $21,470,409 5 Paramount Pictures
6 Can You Ever Forgive Me? $245,000 -28% 265 -7 $925 $6,977,874 8 Fox Searchlight
7 The Wife $222,547 20875% 421 415 $529 $8,011,664 17 Sony Pictures Classics
8 Mirai $199,076 214% 742 671 $268 $671,908 2 GKIDS
9 The Hate U Give $150,000 -22% 235 -15 $638 $29,441,392 10 20th Century Fox
10 Beautiful Boy $108,495 -32% 196 -11 $554 $7,431,531 9 Amazon
11 Maria By Callas $102,313 -11% 149 80 $687 $1,040,232 6 Sony Pictures Classics
12 The Old Man & The Gun $85,000 6% 136 22 $625 $11,050,284 11 Fox Searchlight

PLATFORM (1 — 99)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 The Favourite $1,430,000 33% 91 57 $15,714 $3,468,646 3 Fox Searchlight
2 Anna And The Apocalypse $141,944 170% 46 41 $3,086 $215,076 2 Orion Pictures
3 Ben Is Back $80,972 4 $20,243 $80,972 1 Roadside Attractions / LD Entertainment / Lionsgate
4 Border $52,626 -35% 74 1 $711 $668,798 7 Neon
5 A Cool Fish $50,000 -50% 34 -2 $1,471 $459,016 4 China Lion Film
6 Suspiria $26,450 -16% 33 0 $802 $2,448,068 7 Amazon Studios
7 A Private War $24,000 -51% 35 -31 $686 $1,569,008 6 Aviron Pictures
8 Incredibles 2 $22,000 -25% 66 -27 $333 $608,578,044 26 Disney
9 Wildlife $20,482 -65% 48 -13 $427 $989,391 8 IFC Films
10 The Tag Along: The Devil Fish $10,000 8 $1,250 $10,000 1 China Lion Film
11 Becoming Astrid $7,739 -59% 13 -2 $595 $49,750 3 Music Box Films

News Stories