‘Maleficent’ reigns for 2nd weekend, ‘Lighthouse’ sails into top 10

With a slim #1 victory, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil stayed at the top of the weekend box office, with a $19.4 million, down -47% from its opening weekend. That hold is actually the best second weekend hold for a Disney release this year, far better than the -60% drops for fellow live action remakes Dumbo and The Lion King. With a worldwide total of nearly $300 million after 10 days, the film should avoid being a money loser for the studio, although don’t expect a Maleficent trilogy anytime soon.

Holding strong in second place was Joker with $19.2 million. Initial estimates on Sunday had the film at #1, but while Maleficent took back the top spot in the final numbers, the film’s -35% hold was still the second best hold in the top 10. The Addams Family moved into 3rd place over Zombieland: Double Tap, making $12 million and $11.8 million respectively. Addams Family had the best hold in the top 10, dropping a mere -26%, likely helped by a lack of new family competition and by being one of the few Halloween-appropriate options in theaters right now….well, alongside Zombieland, but the family appeal for Addams probably helps.

The three new wide releases this weekend failed to leave much of an impression, good or bad. Countdown cracked the top 5 with a $8.9 million weekend, an adequate numbers for the $6.5 million horror film, which will likely have a short life as the Halloween season comes to a close, finishing with a $20 million total. Black & Blue was close behind in 6th with $8.4 million, on the low end for a Screen Gems release, but with a $12 million budget, it’s unlikely to lose money for the studio, and should also finish in the $20 million range. The Current War opened in 9th place with $2.6 million. That number is a ways off from its $30 million budget, but considering the sordid production history of the film and mixed reviews, it could have been worse. Expect a final total around $6 million.

Perhaps the most exciting development in the top 10 was at #8, where The Lighthouse made $3 million in a semi-wide release of 586 theaters, for the top 10’s best per-theater-average ($5,171). While A24 has made a living out of trying to sell difficult art house films to the mainstream, The Lighthouse was a particularly tall order: a period setting with anachronistic dialogue, shot in black-and-white in an academy ratio, and two actors that are not exactly box office draws – despite his passionate fanbase, The Lighthouse is already the second highest grossing movie of Robert Pattinson’s post-Twilight career, behind only The Lost City of Z. It’s also an incredible number for a movie in black-and-white – the only other movies 100% in black-and-white to make over $5 million in the US in the last 20 years are The Artist, Frankenweenie,Good Night and Good Luck, Nebraska, and The Man Who Wasn’t There. The Lighthouse will become the sixth by the end of next weekend.

Two other films continued to take a more slow-and-steady expansion route, to continued success. In its third weekend, Parasite made $1.8 million from 129 theaters, about 20% above what The Farewell made in its third weekend from a similar number of theaters. With a $4.1 million total, the film is already the highest grossing Korean-language movie of all time in America, and by the end of the week should surpass Snowpiercer ($4.6 million) as director Bong Joon-ho’s biggest American hit of all time. In its second weekend, Jojo Rabbit made $1.04 million from 55 theaters. Its per-theater-average ($18,983) is a touch below Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri‘s second weekend in a similar amount of theaters ($20,796 in 53), but with a PG-13 rating, Jojo still has potentially wider appeal when it goes nationwide on November 8.

1. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil – $19.4 million (-48%)
2. Joker – $19.1 million (-35%)
3. The Addams Family – $12 million (-26%)
4. Zombieland: Double Tap – $11.8 million (-56%)
5. Countdown – $8.9 million (NEW)
6. Black and Blue – $8.4 million (NEW)
7. Gemini Man – $4.1 million (-51%)
8. The Lighthouse – $3 million (+608%)
9. The Current War – $2.6 million (NEW)
10. Abominable – $2.1 million (-41%)
Parasite – $1.8 milion (+47%)
Jojo Rabbit – $1.04 million (+199%)