Box office: Doctor Strange reigns supreme with $85 million
Disney’s record-breaking box office year just keeps getting better, as their Marvel Studios celebrates its 14th consecutive No. 1 debut with the Benedict Cumberbatch-fronted comic book adaptation Doctor Strange.
For the first time in over a month, all of the weekend’s new wide releases occupy consecutive spots at the top of the domestic box office, though Doctor Strange — which amasses a superb estimated $85 million — leads the pack far and away.
The $165 blockbuster got off to a stellar start on Thursday, with $9.4 million coming from Nov. 3 previews, more than similar films like X-Men: Apocalypse ($8.2 million), Thor: The Dark World ($7.1 million), and Ant-Man ($6.4 million) grossed across the same frame in years prior. Its opening weekend haul ballooned to $85 million on Sunday, with an A CinemaScore from polled audiences (Marvel’s tenth straight feature to achieve the feat).
According to RealD, roughly 47 percent of Doctor Strange’s opening numbers come from 3D screenings, while the film pulls in another $118.7 million from international markets, bringing its worldwide total to an estimated $325.4 million as it occupies around 94 percent of its planned global footprint. Approximately $24.2 million of its earnings come from 1,001 global IMAX screens in 66 markets, dethroning 2014’s Interstellar as the largest November IMAX weekend performer in history across domestic, international, and global grosses.
Coming in at No. 2 is Fox’s Trolls, which earns an estimated $45.6 million across its first three days in wide release. The animated family title, which features the voices of Justin Timberlake, Anna Kendrick, Zooey Deschanel, Russell Brand, James Corden, and Gwen Stefani, received an A grade from CinemaScore responders on Friday, indicating a sturdy run on North American screens in the coming months is probable, with a final number in-line with studio hits like Home ($177.4 million) and Kung Fu Panda 3 ($143.5 million).
In third place is Mel Gibson’s directorial comeback Hacksaw Ridge, which stars Andrew Garfield as WWII army medic Desmond T. Doss, who became the first conscientious objector in history to receive the Medal of Honor. The film, which makes $14.8 million against modest expectations, also solidifies itself as part of the weekend’s rare trifecta of A-graded titles on CinemaScore. A strong opening weekend and positive reception from both audiences and critics indicates the public could be willing to look past the actor-filmmaker’s controversy-laden past.
Rounding out the weekend’s top five grossers are two holdovers: Boo! A Madea Halloween ($7.8 million), which falls to No. 4 following two weekends atop the chart, and last week’s No. 2-debuter, Inferno ($6.3 million), which crashes to the tune of 57.9 percent across its second three-day period. The latter has performed well overseas, however, with its global figure hovering around $185.4 million as of Sunday.
On the specialty front, Jeff Nichols’ understated drama Loving, starring Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton as a couple sentenced to time in prison for their interracial marriage in 1958 Virginia, posts a spectacular $169,000 from four theaters for a per-screen average of $42,250 — the highest of the week.
Moonlight, Barry Jenkins’ likely Oscar contender, also continues to do stellar business as it expands in limited release, pulling in an additional $1.3 million in 47 new locations across its 83-theater total, averaging $16,053 per screen. Its domestic take stands at $3.1 million. The film’s ace performance at the box office thus far bolsters its sturdy positioning heading into the awards race, continuously registering as a must-see title succeeding on strong word-of-mouth as it climbs further into the Oscar conversation from week to week.
Lastly, Sony Pictures Classics’ documentary The Eagle Huntress, which debuted in January at the Sundance Film Festival, takes in $53,848 on four screens for a healthy per-screen average of $13,462.
Check out the Nov. 4-6 weekend box office estimates below.
1. Doctor Strange – $85 million
2. Trolls – $45.6 million
3. Hacksaw Ridge – $14.8 million
4. Boo! A Madea Halloween – $7.8 million
5. Inferno – $6.3 million
6. The Accountant – $6 million
7. Jack Reacher: Never Go Back – $5.6 million
8. Ouija: Origin of Evil – $4 million
9. The Girl on the Train – $2.8 million
10. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children – $2.1 million