411 Box Office Report: Hotel Transylvania 3 Wins Weekend, Skyscraper Falls Short

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation reigned atop the box office this weekend, while Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Skyscraper had a disappointing start. The Sony Animation threequel claimed the top spot with $44.1 million, performing right about where pre-weekend predictions had it. The opening is right between the previous two films, beating the first entry’s $42.5 million opening in 2012 but ranking behind Hotel Transylvania 2’s $48.5 million start in 2015.

The opening is a good start for the film, continuing the franchise’s reliable performance for Sony. The animated film managed to corner the family market, which is obviously important for a series like this. Sony did an effective job marketing the film during the busy summer season, marking the franchise’s first non-September release, and it paid off. The reviews were solid enough to avoid hurting things, though that has never been a problem for the franchise. At 60%, Hotel Transylvania 3 is the best reviewed in the Genndy Tartakovsky-directed series (the first had a 44%, while the second was at 55%). Audience word of mouth was good too, with the film earning the same A- CinemaScore as its predecessors.

So how high will this one get? This series has always been a more modest performer, with the previous films tallying $148.3 million and $169.7 million domestically. This entry will probably be closer to the first; $155 million seems like a viable target for its closing total. With a limited preview from the previous Friday added in, it’s at $45.4 million domestically and $100.2 million worldwide. It will be profitable for Sony on an $80 million production budget, plus marketing costs.

Ant-Man & The Wasp had relied in part on the family box office, and the Drac Pack took enough of that away for a harder fall than expected. The MCU film brought in $28.8 million in its second weekend, down 62%. That isn’t great news, but it’s not so bad either considering the start; Spider-Man: Homecoming had the same fall in July of last year, albeit from a higher start. That said, 62% is a high for an MCU film’s second weekend fall. The movie is now sitting at $132.8 million domestically and $283.7 million worldwide. It now looks likely to close out at around $190 million in the US and is still looking nicely profitable on a $162 million budget.

Less good news was to be had at Universal, where Johnson’s Skyscraper fell short of expectations. The Die Hard-homaging action-thriller opened with $25.5 million, which is well below the mid-$30 million range most expected it to do. It is the lowest start for a Johnson-led film since last May, when Baywatch started with $18.5 million on the way to a $58 million total.

There are already a lot of “what went wrong?” articles being written, and there are a few factors here. First is that Johnson’s films have largely succeeded by bringing in whole families, even in the action category. This year’s Rampage proved to be a success by appealing across demographics, as did Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. Skyscraper is much less kid-pleasing, although the B+ CinemaScore suggests that those who saw it, generally liked it. Critic reviews fell short with a middling 51% on RT.

Can Skyscraper salvage some profit? It is hard to say, but it could look better. The $25.5 million start adds in $40.4 million overseas for a $65.9 million worldwide start, with several markets left to open. China will boost this quite a bit, with a prominent cast of Chinese stars, but the lower cuts Hollywood studios get from China means that the film will have a difficult job making make its $125 million budget plus marketing. An $80 million dlose seems likely, with those international numbers determining if this evet sees profit.

The Incredibles 2 was down 43% to $16.2 million in its fifth weekend. The Disney-Pixar sequel is up to $535.8 million domestically, putting it past The Dark Knight in the all-time domestic list, and $856.9 million worldwide. Pixar has a hit with a likely $560 million final gross.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom fell three spots #5 in its fourth week with $15.5 million, down 46% from last weekend. The movie now stands at $363.3 million domestically and $1.134 million worldwide, a hit on a $170 million budget. It should finish at around $385 million domestically.

The First Purge had a solid hold in its second week as it slipped 47% with $9.1 million. That Purge prequel now stands at $49.5 million domestically and $72.6 million worldwide, making it profitable on a $13 million budget. It should be able to end around $65 million by the end of its run.

Annapurna Pictures’ Sorry to Bother You expanded into limited release this weekend with $4.3 million in 805 theaters. The sci-fi comedy scored thanks to great buzz, thanks in part to its critical praise (95% on RT). The film is now up to $5.3 million domestically and should make it as high as $15 million or more by the end of its run. No word on its budget.

Sicario: Day of the Soldado continued to fall off, down 50% to $3.9 million in its third weekend. The action-thriller sequel now sits at $43.2 million domestically and $59 million worldwide, with a $50 million domestic final likely. On a $35 million budget, it should be able to hit profit with international receipts counted.

Uncle Drew also slipped down the charts, as it brought in $3.2 million (off 51%) in weekend three. The sports comedy is now sitting at $36.7 million domestically and $38.1 million worldwide. On an $18 million budget, it still looks profitable and should end at around $45 million in the US.

Ocean’s 8 closed out the top ten with $2.9 million, down 43%. The Ocean’s Eleven spin-off now stands at $132.3 million domestically and $251.5 million worldwide, making it a hit for Warner Bros. on a $70 million budget. The movie looks likely to top $140 million in the states.

Next weekend will see a trio of films opening, with Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! likely to lead the way with a $35 million start. The Equalizer 2 should be able to take down $27 million, while found footage horror sequel Unfriended: Dark Web is aiming at a much more modest mid single-digit start.

BOX OFFICE TOP TEN (Three-Day Domestic Numbers)
1. Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation – $44.1 million ($45.4 million total)
2. Ant-Man & The Wasp – $28.8 million ($132.8 million total)
3. Skyscraper – $25.5 million ($25.5 million total)
4. The Incredibles 2 – $16.2 million ($535.8 million total)
5. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom – $15.5 million ($363.3 million total)
6. The First Purge – $9.1 million ($49.5 million total)
7. Sorry to Bother You – $4.3 million ($5.3 million total)
8. Sicario: Day of the Soldado – $3.9 million ($43.2 million total)
9. Uncle Drew – $3.2 million ($36.7 million total)
10. Ocean’s 8 – $2.9 million ($132.3 million total)