411 Box Office Report: The Boy And The Heron Takes #1, Hunger Games Stays Strong

Hayao Miyazaki won the box office this weekend as his The Boy And The Heron took the #1 spot. The Studio Ghibli animated film took in $12.8 million, running well over the estimated that had it slightly under $10 million going into the weekend. This is easily Miyazaki’s best domestic opening weekend to date; his previous high was The Secret World of Arrietty which opened to $6.4 million back in 2012 through Studio Ghibli’s then-partnership with Disney as a domestic distributor.

It’s easy to see why The Boy And The Heron overperformed here, to be fair. Miyazaki has one of the best reputations as a filmmaker for quality output, and anime has become a much bigger box office business in the US since his last film, 2014’s The Wind Rises.

Heron has been hailed as another masterpiece by critics and currently holds a 96% aggregated score on Rotten Tomatoes, which is the director’s best score since Spirited Away in 2001. Fans are also enjoying the hell out of the film with a 91% RT audience score and an A- CinemaScore, which led to strong holds throughout the weekend.

Domestic grosses have always been icing on the cake for anime, and this film is no different. Heron has grossed $84.2 million domestically for a $97 million worldwide gross, making this a big hit for GKIDS. Anime tends to be frontloaded and this will likely drop accordingly, but Heron should at least be able to hit $25 million domestically.

Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes stayed steady at #2 as it had a great hold, down just 34% in its fourth weekend with $9.4 million. The prequel film has continued to have great legs in its box office run and is now up to $135.7 million domestically and $262.5 million worldwide, making it a hit for the studio against a $100 million production budget plus marketing. The movie is now looking likely to close out a little over $160 million and has ensured the future of the franchise for Lionsgate.

Godzilla Minus One also had a great hold as it was off a mere 27% in its second weekend. The Toho release was originally scheduled to have a run of just one week, but once it scored at the box office the studio decided to extend its run and that’s paid out well. The film was already the highest-grossing live-action Japanese film in terms of North American grosses and it’s even bigger now at $25.3 million domestically and $48.3 million worldwide.

As of right now, it’s not clear how much longer Minus One will stay in theaters. Depending on its run though, the film is looking to bring in big money for the studio against a budget of less than $15 million. Even if this is its last week, it should be able to make it to $30 million domestically and more if it extends past that.

Trolls Band Together was off just 21% in its fourth weekend to gross $6.2 million. The animated sequel has scored $83.1 million domestically and $173.8 million worldwide, heading to profit against a $95 million production budget. It is still looking at a final US gross of around $100 million or so.

Disney’s Wish stabilized in its third weekend, though it’s too little and too late. The animated film eased 31% to $5.3 million, which brings its totals to $49.4 million domestically and $105.5 million worldwide. That makes it a major money loser against a $200 million budget. It should make it to about $65 million domestically.

Renaissance: A Film By Beyonce saw a big drop in its second weekend. The concert film was down 77% from its opening weekend to bring in $5 million. That’s not great by any measure, but it’s still looking nicely profitable with $28.1 million domestically and $33.5 million worldwide against an expected $10 million budget. It should finish out around $35 million.

Ridley Scott’s Napoleon slipped 42% in its third weekend to $4.2 million. The biopic was never going to be a money maker in theaters for Apple Original Films based on its $200 million budget, and that’s assured now with $53.1 million domestically and $170.8 million worldwide. As I’ve said in past weeks, these expensive films are more for brand boosting than immediate profit and Napoleon should end its stateside run around $70 million.

Bleecker Street’s Waitress: The Musical landed at #7 in its opening weekend, bringing in $3.2 million. The live stage recording of the musical, itself based on the 2007 film, was never expected to bring in big numbers and has always been (like most Bleecker Street releases) priming for a home viewing release.

Waitress: The Musical is carrying good buzz to it, with a 100% RT critic score and a 97% audience score. Still, this is a niche product and it should fade out quickly. The domestic total should be around $8 million.

Indian action film Animal was down an expected 65% in its second weekend to $2.3 million. The Telugu-language film is now at $11.6 million domestically and $88.1 million worldwide, a big hit against a $13 million budget. It’s still looking at around $15 million domestic.

Angel Studios’ The Shift closed out the top 10 with a 50% drop from its opening weekend to $2.2 million. The Book of Job-adapted sci-fi film now has $8.5 million against a $6.4 million budget. It should end its run at around $12 million.

Next weekend will see a new #1 as Wonka opens in theaters. The Timothee Chalamet-starring origin story is aiming at around $35 million or so to start.

BOX OFFICE TOP TEN (Three-Day Domestic Numbers)
1. The Boy and the Heron – $12.8 million ($12.8 million total, $97 million WW)
2. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes – $9.4 million ($135.7 million total, $262.5 million WW)
3. Godzilla Minus One – $8.3 million ($25.3 million total, $48.3 million WW)
4. Trolls Band Together – $6.2 million ($83.1 million total, $173.8 million WW)
5. Wish – $5.3 million ($49.4 million total, $105.5 million WW)
6. Renaissance: A Film By Beyonce – $5 million ($28.1 million total, $33.5 million WW)
7. Napoleon – $4.2 million ($53.1 million total, $170.8 million WW)
8. Waitress: The Musical – $3.2 million ($3.9 million total, $3.9 million WW)
9. Animal – $2.3 million ($11.6 million total, $15.8 million WW)
10. The Shift – $2.2 million ($8.5 million total, $8.5 million WW)