Monday Update: An updated table of studio 4-day weekend estimates is at bottom. Immediately below is our original Sunday article.
With the four-day holiday frame bookended by Valentine’s Day on one end and President’s Day on the other, there was certainly room for a breakout hit at the domestic box office this weekend – and Sonic the Hedgehog delivered on that promise with a sensational debut.
Paramount’s adaptation of the nearly 30-year-old video game franchise sped to an estimated $57 million over the three-day period and a studio-projected $68 million through Monday from 4,167 locations, resulting in the second-largest opening of the year to date, Jim Carrey’s second-largest opening after 2003’s Bruce Almighty ($67.95 million) and the largest-ever debut for a video game adaptation, narrowly besting last year’s Detective Pikachu ($54.36 million). The result is well above the low $40 million range the studio projected heading into the weekend.
Sonic’s breakout performance can be chalked up to a number of factors. For starters, the time was ripe for a family-friendly release after the relatively mild reception for Dolittle last month and titles like Jumanji: The Next Level and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker beginning to fade. The long-awaited adaptation also held strong (perhaps nostalgic) appeal for adult audiences who fondly remember the video game, while the presence of Jim Carrey in his classic Ace Ventura mode also helped to lure in the older crowd. First slated to hit theaters last November, Sonic the Hedgehog’s release was pushed back after fans criticized the appearance of the title character in the first trailer. Smartly, the studio took the controversy to heart and ordered a full redesign that hewed more closely to Sonic’s appearance in the video games, a move that garnered praise and no doubt helped to boost audience turnout this weekend.
Though reviews for Sonic were mixed, it narrowly finished in “Fresh” territory on Rotten Tomatoes, which may also have buttressed turnout somewhat. More importantly, audiences appear to be enjoying the film, which garnered an “A” Cinemascore from opening day crowds and currently boasts a Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 95% from over 4,000 ratings. With a two-week window before Disney/Pixar’s highly anticipated animated fantasy Onward hits theaters, Sonic is looking at a healthy run ahead.
After debuting in first place last weekend with a lower-than-expected $33 million, Warner Bros.’ Birds of Prey dropped to No. 2 with an estimated $17.11 million over the three-day period and a Boxoffice-projected $20.2 million four-day in its sophomore frame. That would give the DC Comics adaptation a somewhat disappointing $62.35 million through Monday.
Debuting this weekend was Blumhouse’s Fantasy Island, a supernatural horror film based on the classic ABC series. Opening in the No. 3 spot, the Sony title debuted well with an estimated $12.4 million three-day and a studio-projected $14 million through Monday from 2,784 locations. That’s more or less what was anticipated for the PG-13 release, which comes at the tail end of a recent glut of low-budget horror titles but nonetheless managed to cash in on the Blumhouse brand name despite truly dreadful reviews (its Rotten Tomatoes score is just 9% as of this writing). Audiences seem to be enjoying the film only marginally more than critics, awarding it a “C-“ Cinemascore and a Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 46% from just under 1,000 ratings to date.
Coming in at No. 4 was newcomer The Photograph, a romantic drama starring Issa Rae and Lakeith Stanfield. The Universal release took good advantage of the Valentine’s Day holiday, bringing in an estimated $12.27 million over the three-day weekend and a studio-projected $13.39 million over the four-day frame from 2,516 locations. The film benefitted from generally positive reviews (it currently has a “Fresh” rating of 75% on Rotten Tomatoes) and two popular stars in Rae and Stanfield, which, combined with the date night-friendly weekend, proved to be a winning combination.
Finishing at No. 5 was Bad Boys for Life, with eased just 6% from the three-day frame last weekend with an estimated $11.3 million, while Sony is projecting $12.82 million over the four-day window. The Will Smith-Martin Lawrence threequel has now legged it to a super $182.84 million through the end of its fifth weekend and has $200 million clearly in its sights.
Following its three Oscar wins last weekend, 1917 also held well in sixth place with an estimated $8.09 million over the three-day frame and a studio-projected $9.37 million over the four-day, which would bring the WWI drama to a powerful $144.4 million through the end of its eighth weekend.
Jumanji: The Next Level came in seventh with an estimated $5.7 million three-day/studio-projected $7 million four-day. The Sony title surpassed the $300 million mark on Thursday and should have $307.01 million in the bank through Monday.
Eighth place went to Parasite, which logged its best weekend at the box office in its 19th frame with an estimated $5.5 million three-day and a studio-projected $6.65 million four-day. The film’s major bump comes on the heels of its surprise Best Picture win at last Sunday’s Oscars, leading distributor Neon to nearly double the film’s location count from around 1,000 screens to just over 2,000. The Bong Joon-ho-directed thriller has now surpassed Pan’s Labyrinth to become the fifth highest-grossing foreign-language film of all time in North America, having grossed an excellent $44.34 million to date.
Finishing in ninth place was Dolittle, which, despite the presence of Sonic in the market, dipped just 22% from last weekend’s three-day total with an estimated $5.05 million through Sunday and a studio-projected $6.31 million through Monday. That would bring the total for the Universal release to $70.5 million.
Rounding out the Top 10 was this weekend’s final wide newcomer Downhill, the first film to be released under Disney’s newly-dubbed Searchlight Pictures (formerly Fox Searchlight). Unfortunately, it wasn’t a particularly auspicious debut for the Julia Louis-Dreyfuss-Will Ferrell comedy — based on the 2014 French title Force Majeure — which came in with an estimated $4.67 million over the three-day frame and a studio-projected $5.19 million over the four-day frame from 2,301 locations. Lackluster reviews for the film, which debuted at Sundance back in January, certainly didn’t help, and opening day audiences concurred by awarding it a “D” Cinemascore. Downhill’s Rotten Tomatoes audience score, meanwhile, is a dismal 14% from just over 670 ratings so far.
Limited Release:
After a one-week Oscar-qualifying run back in December, Neon’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire re-entered North American theaters on 22 screens and brought in an estimated $440K 3-day/$514K 4-day, good for an impressive per-screen average of $20K/$23K. The critically-acclaimed French period romance directed by Celine Sciamma will expand further next weekend. Its all-time tally should stand at $633K through Monday.
Overseas Update:
Sonic the Hedgehog zoomed to a No. 1 finish overseas as well, bringing in an estimated $43 million from 40 markets. That’s only about 60% of the film’s international footprint; it will soon open in major territories including Russia (Feb. 20), Japan (March 20) and China (TBD).
Birds of Prey grossed an estimated $23 million overseas in 78 markets, bringing the international total for the Warner Bros. title to $83.6 million and the global cume to $142.9 million.
1917 generated an estimated $13.6 million from 66 overseas territories, bringing its international tally to $178.1 million and its global cume to a fantastic $322.5 million.
Bad Boys for Life grossed an estimated $11.1 million overseas for a total of $187 million internationally and $368 million worldwide.
Studio 4-Day Weekend Estimates (Domestic)
FRI, FEB. 14 – MON, FEB. 17
| # | TITLE | WEEKEND | LOCATIONS | AVG. | TOTAL | WKS. | DIST. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sonic The Hedgehog | $70,000,000 | — | 4,167 | — | $16,799 | $70,000,000 | 1 | Paramount |
| 2 | Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) | $19,860,000 | -40% | 4,236 | 0 | $4,688 | $62,018,302 | 2 | Warner Bros. |
| 3 | Fantasy Island | $14,000,000 | — | 2,784 | — | $5,029 | $14,000,000 | 1 | Sony Pictures |
| 4 | The Photograph | $13,390,000 | — | 2,516 | — | $5,322 | $13,390,000 | 1 | Universal Pictures |
| 5 | Bad Boys For Life | $13,015,000 | 8% | 3,185 | -345 | $4,086 | $183,037,306 | 5 | Sony / Columbia |
| 6 | 1917 | $9,370,000 | 1% | 3,084 | -464 | $3,038 | $145,694,984 | 8 | Universal Pictures |
| 7 | Parasite | $6,801,891 | 313% | 2,001 | 941 | $3,399 | $44,489,439 | 19 | NEON |
| 8 | Jumanji: The Next Level | $6,710,000 | 21% | 2,410 | -319 | $2,784 | $306,726,286 | 10 | Sony Pictures |
| 9 | Dolittle | $6,310,000 | -3% | 2,869 | -593 | $2,199 | $71,761,515 | 5 | Universal |
| 10 | Downhill | $5,122,000 | — | 2,301 | — | $2,226 | $5,122,000 | 1 | Fox Searchlight |
| 11 | The Gentlemen | $3,200,000 | -24% | 1,802 | -755 | $1,776 | $31,724,063 | 4 | STX Entertainment |
| 12 | Knives Out | $2,448,000 | 7% | 1,154 | -289 | $2,121 | $162,159,017 | 12 | Lionsgate |
| 13 | Little Women | $1,850,000 | -22% | 1,035 | -770 | $1,787 | $105,653,006 | 8 | Sony Pictures |
| # | TITLE | WEEKEND | LOCATIONS | AVG. | TOTAL | WKS. | DIST. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker | $1,614,000 | -30% | 992 | -754 | $1,627 | $513,100,363 | 9 | Disney |
| 2 | Jojo Rabbit | $1,170,000 | -23% | 484 | -612 | $2,417 | $32,025,308 | 18 | Fox Searchlight |
| 3 | Frozen II | $1,119,000 | -19% | 716 | -415 | $1,563 | $475,806,703 | 13 | Disney |
| 4 | Just Mercy | $915,000 | -39% | 846 | -469 | $1,082 | $34,895,166 | 8 | Warner Bros. |
| 5 | Spies in Disguise | $639,000 | -36% | 519 | -281 | $1,231 | $65,781,404 | 8 | 20th Century Fox |
| 6 | The Turning | $615,000 | -59% | 610 | -1238 | $1,008 | $15,141,565 | 4 | Universal Pictures |
| 7 | Ford v. Ferrari | $436,000 | -33% | 293 | -450 | $1,488 | $117,069,518 | 14 | 20th Century Fox |
| 8 | Uncut Gems | $172,094 | -74% | 218 | -924 | $789 | $49,770,947 | 10 | A24 |
| 9 | Bombshell | $149,077 | -32% | 128 | -144 | $1,165 | $31,525,131 | 10 | Lionsgate |
| 10 | The Last Full Measure | $89,490 | -58% | 121 | -158 | $740 | $2,765,824 | 4 | Roadside Attractions |
| 11 | Like a Boss | $87,000 | -58% | 122 | -173 | $713 | $22,140,142 | 6 | Paramount Pictures |
| # | TITLE | WEEKEND | LOCATIONS | AVG. | TOTAL | WKS. | DIST. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portrait of a Lady on Fire | $495,645 | — | 22 | — | $22,529 | $614,248 | 11 | NEON |
| 2 | The Assistant | $249,446 | 112% | 82 | 57 | $3,042 | $521,103 | 3 | Bleecker Street |
| 3 | The Lodge | $153,353 | 101% | 21 | 15 | $7,303 | $253,354 | 2 | Neon |
| 4 | Weathering With You | $86,240 | -37% | 32 | -74 | $2,695 | $7,710,940 | 5 | GKIDS |
| 5 | The Traitor | $65,645 | 63% | 29 | 12 | $2,264 | $159,840 | 3 | Sony Pictures Classics |
| 6 | First Lady | $60,517 | — | 68 | — | $890 | $60,517 | 1 | ArtAffects Entertainment |
| 7 | Underwater | $56,000 | -56% | 77 | -149 | $727 | $17,122,476 | 6 | 20th Century Fox |
| 8 | The Song Of Names | $47,177 | -16% | 51 | -27 | $925 | $1,005,498 | 8 | Sony Pictures Classics |
| 9 | The Times of Bill Cunningham | $44,475 | — | 2 | — | $22,238 | $44,475 | 1 | Greenwich Entertainment |
| 10 | Ordinary Love | $28,689 | — | 3 | — | $9,563 | $28,689 | 1 | |
| 11 | Pain and Glory | $24,081 | -58% | 19 | -99 | $1,267 | $4,552,685 | 20 | Sony Pictures Classics |
| 12 | And Then We Danced | $22,406 | 61% | 7 | 5 | $3,201 | $42,040 | 2 | Muisc Box Films |
| 13 | Enter the Fat Dragon | $22,193 | — | 11 | — | $2,018 | $22,193 | 1 | Well Go USA Entertainment |
| 14 | Honeyland | $11,628 | -19% | 7 | -9 | $1,661 | $808,519 | 30 | Neon |
| 15 | Clemency | $9,761 | -15% | 18 | -7 | $542 | $354,837 | 8 | Neon |
| 16 | I Was at Home, But… | $6,115 | — | 1 | — | $6,115 | $6,115 | 1 | Cinema Guild |
| 17 | The Doors: Break On Thru – A Celebration Of Ray Manzarek | $4,312 | — | 15 | — | $287 | $185,357 | 1 | Trafalgar Releasing |
| 18 | Ip Man 4: The Finale | $3,976 | -63% | 4 | -6 | $994 | $3,951,069 | 8 | Well Go USA Entertainment |
Studio 3-Day Weekend Estimates (Domestic)
FRI, FEB. 14 – SUN, FEB. 16
[Studio 4-day weekend estimates will be posted here on Monday.]
| # | TITLE | WEEKEND | LOCATIONS | AVG. | TOTAL | WKS. | DIST. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sonic The Hedgehog | $57,000,000 | — | 4,167 | — | $13,679 | $57,000,000 | 1 | Paramount |
| 2 | Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) | $17,115,000 | -48% | 4,236 | 0 | $4,040 | $59,273,302 | 2 | Warner Bros. |
| 3 | Fantasy Island | $12,400,000 | — | 2,784 | — | $4,454 | $12,400,000 | 1 | Sony Pictures |
| 4 | The Photograph | $12,270,000 | — | 2,516 | — | $4,877 | $12,270,000 | 1 | Universal Pictures |
| 5 | Bad Boys For Life | $11,305,000 | -6% | 3,185 | -345 | $3,549 | $181,327,306 | 5 | Sony / Columbia |
| 6 | 1917 | $8,090,000 | -12% | 3,084 | -464 | $2,623 | $144,414,984 | 8 | Universal Pictures |
| 7 | Jumanji: The Next Level | $5,700,000 | 3% | 2,410 | -319 | $2,365 | $305,716,286 | 10 | Sony Pictures |
| 8 | Parasite | $5,500,500 | 234% | 2,001 | 941 | $2,749 | $43,188,048 | 19 | NEON |
| 9 | Dolittle | $5,050,000 | -23% | 2,869 | -593 | $1,760 | $70,501,515 | 5 | Universal |
| 10 | Downhill | $4,671,000 | — | 2,301 | — | $2,030 | $4,671,000 | 1 | Fox Searchlight |
| 11 | The Gentlemen | $2,730,000 | -35% | 1,802 | -755 | $1,515 | $31,254,063 | 4 | STX Entertainment |
| 12 | Knives Out | $2,127,000 | -7% | 1,154 | -289 | $1,843 | $161,838,017 | 12 | Lionsgate |
| 13 | Little Women | $1,525,000 | -36% | 1,035 | -770 | $1,473 | $105,328,006 | 8 | Sony Pictures |
| # | TITLE | WEEKEND | LOCATIONS | AVG. | TOTAL | WKS. | DIST. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker | $1,267,000 | -45% | 992 | -754 | $1,277 | $512,753,363 | 9 | Disney |
| 2 | Jojo Rabbit | $924,000 | -39% | 484 | -612 | $1,909 | $31,779,308 | 18 | Fox Searchlight |
| 3 | Frozen II | $865,000 | -37% | 716 | -415 | $1,208 | $475,552,703 | 13 | Disney |
| 4 | Just Mercy | $765,000 | -49% | 846 | -469 | $904 | $34,745,166 | 8 | Warner Bros. |
| 5 | The Turning | $550,000 | -63% | 610 | -1238 | $902 | $15,076,565 | 4 | Universal Pictures |
| 6 | Spies in Disguise | $497,000 | -50% | 519 | -281 | $958 | $65,639,404 | 8 | 20th Century Fox |
| 7 | Ford v. Ferrari | $375,000 | -42% | 293 | -450 | $1,280 | $117,008,518 | 14 | 20th Century Fox |
| 8 | Uncut Gems | $172,094 | -74% | 218 | -924 | $789 | $49,770,947 | 10 | A24 |
| 9 | Bombshell | $125,000 | -43% | 128 | -144 | $977 | $31,501,054 | 10 | Lionsgate |
| 10 | The Last Full Measure | $89,490 | -58% | 121 | -158 | $740 | $2,765,824 | 4 | Roadside Attractions |
| 11 | Like a Boss | $75,000 | -64% | 122 | -173 | $615 | $22,128,142 | 6 | Paramount Pictures |
| # | TITLE | WEEKEND | LOCATIONS | AVG. | TOTAL | WKS. | DIST. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portrait of a Lady on Fire | $440,907 | — | 22 | — | $20,041 | $440,907 | 11 | NEON |
| 2 | The Assistant | $212,352 | 80% | 82 | 57 | $2,590 | $484,461 | 3 | Bleecker Street |
| 3 | The Lodge | $126,000 | 65% | 21 | 15 | $6,000 | $226,001 | 2 | Neon |
| 4 | Weathering With You | $68,331 | -50% | 32 | -74 | $2,135 | $7,693,031 | 5 | GKIDS |
| 5 | First Lady | $60,517 | — | 68 | — | $890 | $60,517 | 1 | ArtAffects Entertainment |
| 6 | The Traitor | $52,623 | 31% | 29 | 12 | $1,815 | $146,818 | 3 | Sony Pictures Classics |
| 7 | Underwater | $47,000 | -63% | 77 | -149 | $610 | $17,113,476 | 6 | 20th Century Fox |
| 8 | The Times of Bill Cunningham | $44,475 | — | 2 | — | $22,238 | $44,475 | 1 | Greenwich Entertainment |
| 9 | The Song Of Names | $38,842 | -31% | 51 | -27 | $762 | $997,163 | 8 | Sony Pictures Classics |
| 10 | Ordinary Love | $24,874 | — | 3 | — | $8,291 | $24,874 | 1 | |
| 11 | And Then We Danced | $22,406 | 61% | 7 | 5 | $3,201 | $42,040 | 2 | Muisc Box Films |
| 12 | Pain and Glory | $18,647 | -67% | 19 | -99 | $981 | $4,547,251 | 20 | Sony Pictures Classics |
| 13 | Clemency | $6,860 | -41% | 15 | -10 | $457 | $351,936 | 8 | Neon |
| 14 | I Was at Home, But… | $6,115 | — | 1 | — | $6,115 | $6,115 | 1 | Cinema Guild |
| 15 | Honeyland | $4,750 | -67% | 7 | -9 | $679 | $801,641 | 30 | Neon |
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