411 Box Office Report: Ralph Breaks the Internet Tops Box Office For Second Weekend

Ralph and Vanellope ruled the box office during a weekend of holdovers, as Ralph Breaks the Internet scored $25.7 million in its second frame. The Disney animated sequel was off an expected 54% from its three-day opening weekend. That’s much steeper than the 33% drop that Wreck-It Ralph had in 2012, although the caveat is that that the first film didn’t open on a busy Thanksgiving weekend. Ralph Breaks the Internet’s drop falls right between Frozen’s 53% slip in 2013 and Tangled’s 55% drop in 2010.

Going into the weekend, most analysts had Ralph at right around $25 million so everything is unfolding as expected. To date, the film has $119.3 million domestically and $207 million worldwide. The international grosses are very good so far considering the film is only in twenty-seven markets. Disney is expanding the film slowly overseas, with major markets being added throughout the holiday season into February. Right now the film is tracking well ahead of the first film’s numbers, and still seems likely to make it above $200 million by the end of its domestic run. It will be another hit for Disney on its budget of $175 million.

Second place went to another animated film as The Grinch eased a very nice 41% to $17.7 million. The big-budget remake of the holiday classic brought its numbers up to $203.5 million domestically and $268.3 million worldwide. The film was never expected to do huge numbers overseas, as Dr. Seuss isn’t as popular a name in non-English speaking countries. Universal has to be happy with the film’s legs, which are looking likely to carry it to a $235 million gross or so in the US. With a budget of $75 million, this is a winner for the studio.

Creed II dropped a not-surprising 53% in its second weekend, chalking up $16.8 million. That drop is a bit larger than the first film’s 49% second-weekend drop, but Creed also opened to less initial money which means it had farther to fall. The sports drama is currently at $81.2 million domestically and $92.6 million worldwide. Things are chugging along nicely for a $125 million final domestic gross. The production budget was $50 million.

Up next was Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, which is fading fairly quickly. The latest entry in the Potterverse universe garnered $11.2 million, down 62% from last weekend. That’s definitely not the drop Warner Bros. wanted for this film, though it’s not exactly in financial trouble. The movie has totaled $134.3 million domestically and $519.6 million worldwide thus far and is a hit thanks to its overseas numbers. It is looking at a $170 million final domestic gross. The budget was $200 million.

Meanwhile, Bohemian Rhapsody continues to rock, off a moderate 42% in its fifth weekend with $8.1 million. That brings the music biopic up to $164.4 million domestically and $539.6 million worldwide from a budget of $52 million. It’s now the twelfth-highest grossing film worldwide for 2018 and could conceivably climb into the top ten.

Instant Family followed Bohemian Rhapsody’s lead for a second weekend, dipping 42% for a $7.2 million take in its third frame. The comedy has now grossed $45.9 million domestically and $49.4 million worldwide against a $48 million budget. If the good holds continue, it could find its way to profit with a potential $60 million to $65 million final US take.

The sole new wide release for the weekend came in at #7 in The Possession of Hannah Grace. Screen Gem’s supernatural chiller scored a $6.5 million start, right about where most expected it to be. This is a quiet start, but still a successful one for a film that quietly flew in with little promotion. While it is below Screen Gem’s last horror feature opening in Slender Man ($11.4 million), that film had a busier marketing campaign that teed it up.

Hannah Grace’s relative lack of promotion came because the film was shifted to the slot in October, replacing fellow horror flick BrightBurn which will now open in May. Still, horror fans will usually find the films out there and this was no exception. The movie survived poor reviews (27% on Rotten Tomatoes) and a C CinemaScore, which is considered okay but not outstanding for the horror genre. The film was cheap for Sony/Screen Gems at $6 million plus about $12 million in marketing, so it should turn a small profit. It added $4.1 million in overseas grosses for a worldwide $10.5 million start. Domestically, it should finish off with about $15 million or so.

Robin Hood fell an expected amount in its second weekend. The Taron Egerton-starring action film followed up its disastrous start last weekend with $4.7 million, off 49%. That wouldn’t be bad for an action movie if it hadn’t started off so low already. There’s not much to say about the movie other than that it’s a financial disaster. With $21.7 million domestically and $48 million worldwide, it has no chance of making its $90 million budget plus marketing back. It’s looking likely for an ugly $35 million final US gross.

Widows was down 46% in its third weekend to bring in $4.4 million. The Steve McQueen-directed has banked $33.1 million domestically and $53.1 million worldwide to date, which is less than it needs to turn a profit on its $42 million. It’s not in horrific shape though, and with a $45 million domestic final looking likely, it could turn a profit if foreign numbers continue to roll in.

Green Book had a very good hold in its second weekend of wide release. The Peter Farrelly-directed film grossed $3.9 million, slipping just 29% from last weekend’s numbers. That’s exactly what Universal wanted to hear after the wide release was only okay. The film has $14 million so far against a $23 million budget and is looking likely to last until awards season picks up, which could help it if it picks up early nominations. The final gross should be around $35 million or so in the US.

It seems like Ralph Breaks the Internet will rule again next weekend, with no wide releases coming. The most high-profile releases will be a re-release of Schindler’s List, the Natalie Portman-starring Vox Lux, and Focus Features’ period drama Mary Queen of Scots which stars Margot Robbie, Saoirse Ronan, and David Tennant. Depending on theater counts, one or all of those could end up in the top ten.

BOX OFFICE TOP TEN (Three-Day Domestic Numbers)
1. Ralph Breaks the Internet – $25.7 million ($119.3 million total)
2. Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch – $17.7 million ($203.5 million total)
3. Creed II – $16.8 million ($81.2 million total)
4. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald – $11.2 million ($134.3 million total)
5. Bohemian Rhapsody – $8.1 million ($164.4 million total)
6. Instant Family – $7.2 million ($45.9 million total)
7. The Possession of Hannah Grace – $6.5 million ($6.5 million total)
8. Robin Hood – $4.7 million ($21.7 million total)
9. Widows – $4.4 million ($33.1 million total)
10. Green Book – $3.9 million ($14 million total)