411 Box Office Report: Bad Boys For Life Rules For Third Week, Jumanji Crosses $750 Million Worldwide

Neither of the newcomers came close to knocking Bad Boys For Life out of the top box office spot this weekend as it continued its impressive run. The Martin Lawrence/Will Smith action sequel nailed down another $17.7 million to reign for a third straight weekend. That number is down a very solid 48% from last weekend’s take, as the film continues to experience holds that trump Bad Boys II. Bad Boys For Life is now an unmitigated hit with $148.1 million domestically and $290.8 million worldwide, the highest grossing in the franchise with plenty left in the tank. It should be able to approach $200 million domestically and even if it doesn’t reach that milestone, there’s more than enough money in Columbia Pictures’ coffers here to justify another entry based on the $90 million budget.

1917 also continued to perform strongly, nailing down another $9.7 million in its sixth week. That brings the Oscar-nominated war pic up to $119.2 million domestically and $249 million worldwide. The film had an expensive $100 million budget and marketing, it’s on its way to box office success especially if the Oscars roll in next weekend. Sam Mendes’ latest film should be able to finish off with around $135 million or more by the end of its domestic run.

While Dolittle has been enjoyed better-than-expected holds, it’s definitely a case of “too little, too late.” The fantasy adventure pic based on the literary classic brought in $7.7 million, down 37% in its third week. Dolittle is performing like a family film should and would be fine if not for its hideous $175 million budget. As it is, it stands at $55.2 million domestically and $126.6 million worldwide with a likely domestic total of $75 million or so. Universal is losing big money here.

The first of the disappointing new releases arrived at #5 in Hansel & Gretel. UA’s horror take on the famous story a touch below its expected $7 million to 8 million start. United Artists didn’t do much to promote this film, which without major marketable stars mostly sought to trade on the known property of the Grimm fairy tale. That wasn’t enough to bring audiences in after a couple of other horror films have fallen short this year in The Grudge and The Turning.

While the horror genre is historically less susceptible to bad reviews, the bar has been raised in the past few years with well-reviewed entries like the It and Conjuring franchises. Thus, a 59% Rotten Tomatoes aggregate score for Hansel & Gretel, while nothing to complain too hard about, didn’t help much. A C- CinemaScore is slightly below average for horror and didn’t help. The good news is that UA kept the budget low at $5 million and the marketing was very moderate, with most of the spend on digital where costs are lower. Hansel & Gretel will likely not get too far ahead of $12 million to $15 million domestically and will need the eventual overseas numbers to see much profit.

Coming in at #5 was STX’s The Gentlemen, which grabbed up $6.1 in its second week. That’s a solid 44% drop from the first weekend for the Guy Ritchie-directed crime comedy, which is at $20.4 million domestically and a very decent $42.9 million worldwide against a $20 million budget. STX won’t be making huge money on this but it will be a success, with a likely $35 million final take in the US.

Jumanji: The Next Level hit a new milestone worldwide as it approached one in the US with $6 million this weekend, down just 22%. The ensemble sequel is proving the franchise’s longevity at the box office once again, with $291.2 million domestic and having crossed the $750 million mark worldwide with $754.8 million total. The film will top $300 for sure in the US and is a major hit against its $130 million budget.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker dropped off by 43% in its sixth weekend with $3.2 million. The blockbuster stands at $507.1 million domestically and $1.058 billion worldwide, which makes it a huge hit against a $275 million budget.

The Turning followed up its low start last weekend with a 56% drop to $3.1 million. The film is seeing a hit based off that F- CinemaScore it received thanks in large part to a much-criticized ending. The film has $11.7 million domestically and $14 million worldwide against a $14 million budget. Profit is likely out of reach for Universal on this, but it probably won’t lose too much money either.

Little Women continues to hold on well, down 35% in its sixth weekend with $3 million. The Greta Gerwig-directed film is up to $98.8 million domestically and $162.9 million worldwide against a $42 million budget, a major hit for Sony. It will likely finish out at $110 million in the US.

The Rhythm Section absolutely bombed in its opening weekend, bringing in just $2.8 million. The Blake Lively-starring action-thriller was the victim of a troubled production that saw Lively suffer an injury on-set that stalled the film by six months. The reviews have been bad at 33% on RT, and the few members of the movie-going crowd who did see it weren’t impressed with a C+ CinemaScore. It seems as if Paramount and EON knew this going in, as they did little to market the film and frankly, the title doesn’t exactly scream “action film” which didn’t help.

There’s really not any good news here. Not only is it the lowest opening of Lively’s career by far, it’s the worst start for any film that opened on 3,000 screens (the previous low being 2006’s Hoot at $3.4 million). Add in an expensive budget at $50 million and there’s no hope. This is unlikely to even pass $10 million in the US.

Next weekend will see a new #1 as Birds of Prey arrives with a lot of hype and targets a $45 million to $50 million start.

BOX OFFICE TOP TEN (Three-Day Domestic Numbers)
1. Bad Boys For Life – $17.7 million ($148.1 million total)
2. 1917 – $9.7 million ($119.2 million total)
3. Dolittle – $7.7 million ($55.2 million total)
4. The Gentlemen – $6.1 million ($20.4 million total)
5. Hansel & Gretel – $6 million ($6 million total)
6. Jumanji: The Next Level – $6 million ($291.2 million total)
7. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – $3.2 million ($507.1 million total)
8. The Turning – $3.1 million ($11.7 million total)
9. Little Women – $3 million ($98.8 million total)
10. The Rhythm Section – $2.8 million ($2.8 million total)