411 Box Office Report: John Wick: Chapter 3 Soars to #1, Avengers: Endgame Passes Avatar Domestically

You can’t keep a good hitman down, and John Wick proved that at the box office this weekend. John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum blew past expectations to bring in $57 million, claiming the top spot at the box office with room to spare. The third entry in the Keanu Reeves-fronted franchise finished off way ahead of the $35 million to $40 million estimates that most had for it going into the weekend. The opening represents more than the $43 million that the first John Wick earned during the entirety of its domestic run and almost double the $30.4 million start of John Wick: Chapter Two in February of 2017.

The Wick franchise has proved to be a surprisingly powerful one at the box office from the beginning, and Parabellum is no exception. The film was powered by strong fan anticipation after the cliffhanger ending of Chapter Two, along with critical buzz and strong word of mouth. Reviews for the film stand at a 89% positive per Rotten Tomatoes, on par with the second film, while the CinemaScore similarly matches Chapter Two’s A-. Both of these metrics helped power the film to its strong opening. What’s more, the film is doing well overseas thus far with $35.2 million in 66 markets, better than the starts for each of the previous films. That puts the movie at a $92.2 million worldwide start.

With those numbers, it’s not hard to imagine that this film will become the biggest in the franchise. John Wick: Chapter Two currently holds that record with $92 million domestically and $171.5 million worldwide. It would take an incredible drop-off for Parabellum not to cross either of those marks. If it follows the same 3.0 multiple of the previous entries, it should end up with around $170 million domestically, though this film will have stronger competition than the previous two. A final domestic bow of $150 million to $160 million seems to be a safe bet, but don’t count out the possibility it goes higher. Bottom line: this is a hit against its $55 million budget.

While Avengers: Endgame finally ceded the top spot after three weeks, it’s still got a lot to crow about. The MCU epic brought in $29.4 million in its fourth weekend, off 54% from the previous frame. That gives it a domestic total of $770.8 million, which officially puts it ahead of Avatar for the #2 film domestically. Worldwide, the movie stands at $2.615 billion which is about $170 million below Avatar for the #1 spot. The film is comparatively running neck-and-neck with Infinity War at this point for domestic gross and if it continues that trend, it will end its run at around $860 million to $870 million or so. Can the overseas grosses push it ahead of James Cameron’s film? It will be close, but it’s still entirely possible. Either way, Disney is ecstatic with how much money it is raking in. The budget was $350 million.

Pokemon Detective Pikachu was off an expected 54% in its second weekend, ringing up $24.8 million. The live-action/CGW hybrid adaptation is now sitting at $94 million domestically and $287.4 million worldwide, both good numbers for the film at this point in its run. Pikachu is looking like it will finish with around $170 million domestically and will be a hit for Warner Bros., enough so that future films could be on the table. The budget was $150 million.

A Dog’s Journey opened at a distant #4 with $8 million. That’s a fairly disappointing start, considering the film was expected to open in the low teens. It’s also less than half of the $18.2 million opening that A Dog’s Purpose had in January of 2017. Universal found its film crowded out by the noise around the bigger blockbusters, including Pikachu where it was competing for family pocketbooks. While the film’s critical consensus was stronger than the first, it’s still mediocre at 49% and many saw this as an unnecessary sequel.

That said, Universal isn’t looking at a huge loss here. A Dog’s Purpose made the vast bulk of its money overseas, and while A Dog’s Journey is off to just an okay start there with $3 million in 14 markets, that’s a good enough beginning that is similar to the first film’s start. It should end up at about $30 million domestically and will probably end up being profitable, though there’s no word on its budget. For perspective, A Dog’s Purpose cost $22 million in production.

The Hustle was hoping for a solid hold, but its boost for Mother’s Day last weekend predictably evaporated. That left the Anne Hathaway/Rebel Wilson-led Dirty Rotten Scoundrels remake at $6.1 million, down 53% from the film’s start. It’s not a disaster by any means, but with a modest beginning it could have used some better legs. The movie now stands at $23.1 million domestically and $51.2 million worldwide. it should end up finishing out at $35 million to $40 million in the US and will probably make Universal a bit of money.

The Intruder continues to have decent holds, down 44% in its third weekend with $4 million. The thriller is now sitting at $28.1 million domestically, and $28.6 million worldwide, on it way to about $38 million or so stateside. That will be enough for a small bit of profit on a $8 million budget and moderate marketing.

Long Shot slipped 46% in its third weekend to bring in $3.4 million. The rom-com is now up to $25.7 million domestic and $32.8 million worldwide, still looking like it will struggle against its $40 million budget. It should close off its domestic run at around $32 million.

Young adult romance The Sun Is Also a Star repped a new low for the genre among wide releases. The adaptation of the Nicola Yoon novel had just $2.6 million, way below the mid-single digit opening that Warner Bros. was hoping it would do. The genre has lost a ton of strength over the last few years with increasingly generic-looking entries, and this one just had no interest.

YA movies don’t tend to worry much about critical reviews and the 50% RT score didn’t mean much; however, they are very reliant on word of mouth and a low B- CinemaScore is a death knell. By comparison, March’s Five Feet Apart had an A score that drove it to box office success. Don’t expect any legs from this one; a $10 million domestic total is exceedingly unlikely and with a $9 million budget, this is a money loser.

Speaking of money losers, STX’s Poms and Uglydolls closed out the top ten with hefty falls. Poms was off 61% in its second weekend, a terrible drop for a film that didn’t start well, with $2.1 million. That brings the comedy to $10 million. With no international prospects on the horizon, it’s looking at around $15 million which won’t be enough to make back its $10 million budget plus marketing.

As for Uglydolls, it’s making a hasty exit from theaters with a 61% drop to $1.6 million. The animated film now has just $17.2 million domestically and $18.9 million worldwide against a $45 million budget. $20 million looks to be its domestic endpoint.

It will be all about Aladdin next weekend, as Disney’s adaptation of its animated classic should take the #1 spot with ease. The film is targeting $60 million to $70 million. Meanwhile, superhero horror flick BrightBurn should start with around $10 million and teen comedy Booksmart is hoping for $7 million to $8 million.

BOX OFFICE TOP TEN (Three-Day Domestic Numbers)
1. John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum – $57 million ($57 million total)
2. Avengers: Endgame – $29.4 million ($770.8 million total)
3. Pokemon Detective Pikachu – $24.8 million ($94 million total)
4. A Dog’s Journey – $8 million ($8 million total)
5. The Hustle – $6.1 million ($23.1 million total)
6. The Intruder – $4 million ($28.1 million total)
7. Long Shot – $3.4 million ($25.7 million total)
8. The Sun Is Also a Star – $2.6 million ($2.6 million total)
9. Poms – $2.1 million ($10 million total)
10. Uglydolls – $1.6 million ($17.2 million total)