The June 2018 box office closed on a high note this weekend as the solid debuts of two new films -Sony’s Sicario: Day of the Soldado and Lionsgate/Summit’s Uncle Drew –, joined Jurassic World: Forbidden Kingdom and Incredibles 2 in helping push ticket sales for the season 16% ahead of 2017’s summer tally at this point. Sales should continue to be brisk throughout the upcoming holiday week and well into July.
After stomping on the competition one week ago, Universal Studios, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom dropped 59% in its second weekend on 4,485 screens to scare up $60 million. Fallen Kingdom’s domestic total stands at a monster $265 million after ten days of release.
The large drop in business for Kingdom wasn’t unexpected given the film’s massive opening last week. However, the decrease was the biggest second weekend drop for the franchise to date, a possible sign that the latest trip to Dinoland may be experiencing some audience disapproval. While that won’t stop the film from continuing to be a sizeable draw throughout the upcoming holiday week, it could spell trouble in the long run once some new films enter the fray. For example, this upcoming Friday’s release of Disney/Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp. If Kingdom can withstand the return of The Ant, it could work its way close to the $400 million mark. If not and the declines continue in the 50-60% range, Kingdom‘s final haul may be closer to $360-370 million.
On the international front, Fallen Kingdom has had nothing but smooth sailing since debuting four weeks ago. The monster epic has scared up a terrific $668 million. With $932 million in overall global sales already in the bank, Fallen Kingdom will become the latest member of the billion-dollar blockbuster club by the end of this upcoming week.
In second place with an estimated $45 million from 4,410 theaters was Disney/Pixar’s Incredibles 2. Off 43% from one week ago, the Brad Bird-directed smash has commanded a super $440 million in sales. On Saturday, the cartoon sequel zipped past 2010’s Toy Story 3 to become the second biggest Pixar Studios release of all time. I2 will pass Finding Dory by the end of this upcoming week to become the biggest ever Pixar release (pre-inflation) en route to a final total around the $540 million mark. Playing in a little over half of the international markets, Incredibles 2 has pocketed a superb $207 million so far.
It’s been three years since the stylish action drama Sicario invaded theaters. Directed by Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049) and starring Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin, Sicario became a surprise box office hit, garnering strong reviews, a handful of Oscar nominations and a tidy global box office gross of $85 million. While Sicario may not have posted the type of box office a Marvel or Pixar film does, it made enough of an impact with the public to warrant another episode. While Villeneuve and Blunt would opt out of the sequel, Del Toro, Brolin and screenwriter Taylor Sheridan returned.
Directed by Stefano Sollima (Gomorrah), the $35 million Sicario: Day of the Soldado arrived on 3,055 screens Friday where it commanded a solid $19 million. The opening numbers for Soldado were roughly 60% higher than the $12 million scored by the original film’s first week of wide release. While the opening numbers for Soldado were higher than its predecessor, the critical notices were somewhat lower. Soldado mustered a mild Rotten Tomatoes rating of 62%, far below the 93% earned by the first (the new film also scored a 60/100 on Metacritic). The critics weren’t the only ones on the fence about the sequel: viewers polled on CinemaScore gave Soldado a middling “B.”
NBA superstar Kyrie Irving made his big screen debut this weekend with the Lionsgate comedy Uncle Drew, which scored an estimated $15.5million from 2,742 screens. Critics gave the Lionsgate/Summit release an agreeable 67%on Rotten Tomatoes and a 57/100 on Metacritic. Ticket buyers enjoyed the low-budget comedy a little bit more than the press. They gave Drew an “A”on CinemaScore. The PG-13 comedy also features Tiffany Haddish, Nick Kroll, Lil Rel Howery and former NBA stars Nate Robinson, Shaquille O’Neal and Reggie Miller.
Rounding out the top five was Warner’s heist comedy Ocean’s 8 with an estimated $8 million from 3,426 screens. Off only 30% – the lowest drop of any film in the top ten this weekend-, Ocean’s 8 has lifted $115 million domestically so far with an additional $95 million from international markets.
- Tag (Warner/New Line) $5.6 million (-32%); $41 million
- Deadpool 2 (Fox) $3.4 million (-35%); $310.3 million
- Sanju (FIP) $2.5 million (NEW)
- Solo: A Star Wars Story (Disney) $2.2 million (-49%); $207 million
- Won’t You Be My Neighbor (Focus) $2.3 million (+26%); $7.5 million
On Wednesday, The First Purge enters the fray followed by Ant-Man and the Waspon Friday. Have a safe and happy fourth, everyone!
