Category: Movies

Alita: Battle Angel tops Presidents’ Day box office with $33 million

Robert Rodriguez’s Alita: Battle Angel may be winning the box office battle, but it’s likely losing the war.

The sci-fi epic is on track to win the weekend with an estimated $27.8 million in ticket sales at 3,790 theaters in the U.S. and Canada from Friday through Sunday ($33 million through Monday). The film opened on Thursday bringing its total debut to $36.5 million through Sunday. While the cyberpunk film easily takes the box office crown for the weekend, it’s a dismaying opening for a film that reportedly cost around $200 million to make. The weekend falls far below last year’s Presidents’ Day take where the record-breaking Black Panther scored a $242 million domestic opening in its debut.

Lego Movie 2: The Second Part held strong in its second week at the box office, taking second place with an estimated $27 million across 4,303 theaters for the four-day weekend. It continues to lag far behind the 2014 original, which scored an impressive $130 million in its first two weekends. Its $62.7 cumulative total across two weekends falls short of The Lego Movie’s original opening take of $69 million in its first weekend.

Other buzzy new release meta rom-com Isn’t it Romantic took third place with an estimated $16 million across 3,444 theaters for the long weekend.

Produced by sci-fi icon James Cameron, Alita: Battle Angel follows the story of a compassionate doctor (Christoph Waltz) who realizes that the cyborg shell he is nurturing also harbors the heart and soul of a young woman (Rosa Salazar) with a mysterious past. Jennifer Connelly, Jackie Earle Haley, and Mahershala Ali also star. The film has taken a pounding from critics, which could contribute to its lower overall total.

Isn’t It Romantic sought to capitalize on the Valentine’s Day tie-in, even opening on Wednesday to get couples in for the Thursday holiday, bringing its cumulative debut total to an estimated $20.5 million through Sunday for its third-place opening.

The film is a meta-riff on rom-coms, sending up many tropes of the genre in its story about Natalie (Rebel Wilson), a young architect disenchanted with love who suddenly wakes up to find herself trapped in a romantic comedy. Directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson, the film also stars Liam Hemsworth, Adam DeVine, and Priyanka Chopra.

This weekend’s other new release, Universal’s horror sequel Happy Death Day 2U, is poised to take the fifth place spot with an estimated total $11.5 million total across 3,207 theaters for Friday through Monday. This comedic horror film is a follow up to 2017 hit Happy Death Day, returning to heroine Tree Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) as she encounters new dangers after her dying over and over again in Groundhog Day fashion in the first film. Laura Clifton, Steve Zissis, and Suraj Sharma also star in the Christopher Landon helmed film. The sequel can’t repeat its former glory, taking in less than half of the original film’s $26 million opening.

Comedy gender-bent remake What Men Want rounds out the top five with its fourth place take of an estimated $12.6 million across 2,912 theaters for the long weekend. It’s down approximately 40 percent from its opening weekend.

Overall box office is down 19.7 percent year-to-date, according to Comscore, a number which sinks increasingly lower due to the lack of a major hit on the scale of last year’s Black Panther. Check out the Feb. 15-17 numbers below.

1. Alita: Battle Angel — $27.8 million
2. Lego Movie 2: The Second Part — $21.2 million
3. Isn’t It Romantic— $14.2 million
4. What Men Want— $10.9 million
5. Happy Death Day 2U— $9.8 million
6. Cold Pursuit — $6 million
7. The Upside— $5.8 million
8. Glass— $3.9 million
9. The Prodigy— $3.2 million
10. Green Book — $2.8 million

Lego Movie 2 tops the box office with $35 million debut

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part is taking a brick to its competition.

The latest in the animated toy-inspired franchise takes the top spot at the box office in its opening weekend with an estimated $35 million in ticket sales at 4,303 theaters in the U.S. and Canada from Friday through Sunday, bringing its North American total to $88.7 million.

For the first time in 2019, new releases make up the box office top three with Paramount’s What Men Want grabbing second place with an estimated $19 million across 2,912 theaters and Lionsgate’s Cold Pursuit rounding out the top three with an estimated $10.8 million across 2,630 theaters. The weekend’s other new release, Orion horror flick The Prodigy, did not fare as well, taking the sixth slot with an estimated $6 million across 2,530 theaters.

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part is Warner Bros. latest entry in its plasticine franchise, after 2017’s Lego Batman Movie and Lego Ninjago Movie. The film is the first official sequel to the 2014 hit that kickstarted the franchise, The Lego Movie.

With a script from Lego masterminds Phil Lord and Chris Miller and directed by Mike Mitchell, the film reunites the heroes of Bricksburg as they attempt to save their city from a new threat. It features the voice talents of returning cast members Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Alison Brie, Will Arnett, as well as newcomers to the franchise Stephanie Beatriz, Tiffany Haddish, Maya Rudolph, and more.

Despite strong reviews, The Lego Movie 2 fell short of projected expectations which anticipated a weekend haul somewhere between $50-55 million. The sequel didn’t come close to the 2014 opening take of the original film, which took in $69 million its first weekend at the box office. This marks the second worst opening for a film in the franchise, after The Lego Ninjago Movie’s $20.4 million opening in Sept. 2017.

New release What Men Want, a gender-swapped take on Nancy Meyer’s 2000 comedy hit What Women Want, grabs second place with its estimated $19 million total in line with industry expectations. Directed by Adam Shankman (Hairspray), the Paramount comedy stars Taraji P. Henson as a sports agent who is constantly overshadowed by her male counterparts, until an encounter with a psychic suddenly gives her the power to hear what men are thinking. It couldn’t compare to the Mel Gibson-Helen Hunt original, which took $33.6 million in its opening weekend back in 2000.

The weekend’s other major title, Liam Neeson revenge thriller Cold Pursuit, fell far short of expectations with its third place estimated total of $10.8 million. The Lionsgate release reportedly cost $60 million to make, but the film was likely hampered by its release in the midst of major controversy involving star Liam Neeson after he confessed in an interview that he once contemplated a “revenge” attack against a random black person. Neeson apologized for the remarks after the backlash.

Indeed, it marks Neeson’s worst opening for a wide release since he rebranded himself as an action star with the wild success of 2009’s Taken. The film follows a local snowplow operator (Neeson) who becomes consumed by revenge when his son is murdered by a local drug cartel. Laura Dern, Emmy Rossum, and William Forsythe also star. Hans Petter Moland directed the film, and it’s an English-language remake of his 2014 Norwegian film In Order of Disappearance.

The Prodigy, which was the fourth new title of the weekend, came in sixth with an estimated $6 million total. The film stars Taylor Schilling as a mother who believes her son’s disturbing behavior might be due to something supernatural.

2019 box office winners The Upside and Glass round out the top five for the weekend, with estimated totals of $7.2 million and $6.4 million respectively. It’s a steep decline for Glass of nearly 33 percent, having held on to the top spot at the box office for the previous three weekends running. Meanwhile, STX Films’ The Upside continues to make a strong showing in its fifth week, bringing its cumulative domestic total to $85.8 million, an unexpected victory for a film that once seemed as if it might be lost to the controversy surrounding the Weinstein company.

Overall box office is down 14.5 percent year-to-date, according to Comscore. Check out the Feb. 8-10 numbers below.

1. Lego Movie 2: The Second Part — $35 million
2. What Men Want— $19 million
3. Cold Pursuit— $10.8 million
4. The Upside— $7.2 million
5. Glass— $6.4 million
6. The Prodigy — $6 million
7. Green Book— $3.6 million
8. Aquaman— $3.3 million
9. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse— $3 million
10. Miss Bala — $2.7 million

Peter Jackson to revamp The Beatles ‘Let It Be’ film from original footage

Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson, best known for his Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies, is collaborating with The Beatles to produce a new film from the 55 hours of footage originally filmed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg for what turned into ‘the intimate bioscopic experience’ that was 1970’s Let It Be motion picture.

The footage was shot in January 1969 as The Beatles prepared for a TV special that never materialised, starting in Twickenham Film Studios and moving to Apple’s London office in Savile Row, climaxing with the legendary performance on the roof of that building — which took place exactly 50 years ago today.

Peter Jackson said, “The 55 hours of never-before-seen footage and 140 hours of audio made available to us, ensures this movie will be the ultimate ‘fly on the wall’ experience that Beatles fans have long dreamt about – it’s like a time machine transports us back to 1969, and we get to sit in the studio watching these four friends make great music together.”

I think it’s fair to say that The Beatles have never really been totally happy with either the finished Let It Be album (famously pulled together by Phil Spector, much to McCartney’s annoyance) or the film, which portrays the struggles within an unhappy looking unit, as George Harrison clashes with Paul and John brings Yoko into virtually every session. The film has never been issued officially on DVD and the band approved a revised version of the album, Let It Be Naked, which was issued in 2003.

Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson, best known for his Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies, is collaborating with The Beatles to produce a new film from the 55 hours of footage originally filmed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg for what turned into ‘the intimate bioscopic experience’ that was 1970’s Let It Be motion picture.

The footage was shot in January 1969 as The Beatles prepared for a TV special that never materialised, starting in Twickenham Film Studios and moving to Apple’s London office in Savile Row, climaxing with the legendary performance on the roof of that building — which took place exactly 50 years ago today.

Peter Jackson said, “The 55 hours of never-before-seen footage and 140 hours of audio made available to us, ensures this movie will be the ultimate ‘fly on the wall’ experience that Beatles fans have long dreamt about – it’s like a time machine transports us back to 1969, and we get to sit in the studio watching these four friends make great music together.”

I think it’s fair to say that The Beatles have never really been totally happy with either the finished Let It Be album (famously pulled together by Phil Spector, much to McCartney’s annoyance) or the film, which portrays the struggles within an unhappy looking unit, as George Harrison clashes with Paul and John brings Yoko into virtually every session. The film has never been issued officially on DVD and the band approved a revised version of the album, Let It Be Naked, which was issued in 2003.

According to Peter Jackson, “I was relieved to discover the reality is very different to the myth. After reviewing all the footage and audio that Michael Lindsay-Hogg shot 18 months before they broke up, it’s simply an amazing historical treasure-trove. Sure, there’s moments of drama – but none of the discord this project has long been associated with. Watching John, Paul, George, and Ringo work together, creating now-classic songs from scratch, is not only fascinating – it’s funny, uplifting and surprisingly intimate. I’m thrilled and honoured to have been entrusted with this remarkable footage – making the movie will be a sheer joy.”

The footage will be restored by Park Road Post of Wellington, New Zealand using techniques developed for Jackson’s We Shall Not Grow Old WW1 documentary film.

A name for the film – which is being made with the full co-operation of Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono Lennon, and Olivia Harrison – will be announced in due course, along with a release date. With the Abbey Road album widely expected to be reissued this year, 2020 would clearly be a great time release the new movie because it would celebrate 50 years since the original. One would expect some kind of audio/video box set to follow.

Pertinently, Apple have said that a restored version of the original Let It Be movie will also be made available.

Glass cuts through competition for third weekend atop the box office

Glass is still slicing through its competitors to hold onto the top spot at the box office.

The M. Night Shyamalan thriller tops the box office for the third week running with an estimated $9.5 million in ticket sales at 3,665 theaters in the U.S. and Canada from Friday through Sunday, bringing its North American total to $88.7 million. Globally, it’s brought in an estimated $199 million. STX Films’ The Upside also holds onto its momentum in its fourth weekend, coming in second with $8.6 million across 3,568 theaters, while the only nationwide new release Miss Bala takes the third place slot with an estimated $6.7 million across 2,203 theaters.

The overall weekend take paints a dismal picture amounting to the worst Super Bowl weekend at the movies since 2000. It’s a rare weekend where every film failed to pass the $10 million mark. Inclimate weather across the United States likely contributed to the steep decline in movie-going.

Featuring actors and characters from Split and Unbreakable, Glass stars Bruce Willis as a security guard with superhuman strength and a sixth sense about bad guys, who tangles with a murderous genius with brittle bones (Samuel L. Jackson) and an ex-zoo employee with multiple personalities (James McAvoy), one of whom is a feral killer known as the Beast. Critics’ reviews have been lukewarm, while audiences gave Glass a mediocre B CinemaScore.

New release Miss Bala actually came in ahead of studio projections of $5 million with its estimated $6.7 million total. Still, the film has a ways to go before it might recoup its $15 million budget. The film marks a major milestone for Hollywood with Sony heralding its 95 percent Latinx cast and crew.

Starring Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin) as the title character, the action film follows a young woman drawn into the world of cross-border crime when she seeks revenge on a drug cartel that kidnapped her friend. Ismael Cruz Cordova and Anthony Mackie also star in the production, directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight). The movie, which marked Rodriguez’s first major outing as an action star, was hammered by critics. It comes in far below Rodriguez’s other mainstream cinematic turns, including her most recent release as one of several vocal talents in Warner Bros. animated Smallfoot last fall, which opened to $23 million.

Fictional superheroes round out the top five with Aquaman coming in fourth with $4.8 million in its seventh weekend kicking it to a global tally of $1.1 billion. Sony’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse continues to weave its web over audiences, taking fifth place with an estimated $4.4 million haul in its eighth weekend.

It’s fairly rare to see a documentary crack the top 10, but Peter Jackson’s They Shall Not Grow Old grabs the tenth spot this weekend with an estimated $2.4 million total. The film features never-before-seen footage to commemorate the centennial of the end of World War I.

Overall box office is down 15.4 percent year-to-date, according to Comscore. Check out the Feb. 1-3 numbers below.

1. Glass — $9.5 million
2. The Upside — $8.6 million
3. Miss Bala — $6.7 million
4. Aquaman— $4.8 million
5. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse — $4.4 million
6. Green Book — $4.3 million
7. Kid Who Would Be King — $4.2 million
8. A Dog’s Way Home — $3.5 million
9. Escape Room — $2.9 million
10. They Shall Not Grow Old — $2.4 million

Glass is reflecting well on its creators.

The M. Night Shyamalan thriller is primed to exceed expectations with a decline of 53 percent to hold on to the top spot at the box office for two weeks running. It slides into first place with an estimated $19 million in ticket sales at 3,844 theaters in the U.S. and Canada from Friday through Sunday, bringing its North American total to $73.6 million over the course of its first two weekends. Globally, it’s brought in an estimated $162.7 million.

Featuring actors and characters from Split and Unbreakable, Glass stars Bruce Willis as a security guard with superhuman strength and a sixth sense about bad guys, who tangles with a murderous genius with brittle bones (Samuel L. Jackson) and an ex-zoo employee with multiple personalities (James McAvoy), one of whom is a feral killer known as the Beast. Critics’ reviews have been lukewarm, while audiences gave Glass a mediocre B CinemaScore. Its cinematic cousin Split similarly topped the box office in 2018 for two weeks running, but its two-week haul was $84.1 million in contrast to Glass’ $73.6 million in its first two weekends in theaters.

STX Films’ The Upside continues to stay in the top three, coming in at second place with an estimated $12.2 million domestic haul, while the power of Aquaman remains strong with an estimated $7.35 million in its sixth weekend in theaters. Aquaman continues to swim to new heights, now officially the biggest DC movie of all time, the third largest Warner Bros. release of all time, and one of the top 25 movies of all time industry-wide with a global haul of $1.09 billion.

New releases Serenity and The Kid Who Would Be King both fell short of expectations, coming in at eighth and fourth, respectively. A family-friendly take on Arthurian legend, The Kid Who Would Be King will nab the fourth spot with an estimated $7.3 million across 3,124 theaters — not a great start for a film that reportedly cost about $60 million to make. Directed by Joe Cornish, the British-U.S. production from Working Title and 20th Century Fox follows a young boy (Andy Serkis’ son Louis Ashbourne Serkis) as he discovers Excalibur, the legendary sword of King Arthur. Rebecca Ferguson and Patrick Stewart also star.

The film garnered mostly strong reviews and a B+ CinemaScore, but it still failed to claim its place in the hierarchy of movies inspired by Arthurian legend. It fared slightly worse than the last King Arthur film, the much-maligned Charlie Hunnam led King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, which opened to $15.4 million in 2017.

Serenity looks to be a massive bomb, with an estimated take of $4.8 million in its opening weekend across 2,561 theaters. Directed by Steven Knight, Aviron’s noir thriller stars Matthew McConaughey as a fishing boat captain with a shadowy past, which materializes in the form of a glamorous woman, played by Anne Hathaway, who crashes into his simple life on a small Caribbean island. Diane Lane, Djimon Hounsou, Jason Clarke, and Jeremy Strong also star.

The film seems universally reviled, earning both negative reviews and a pitiful D+ CinemaScore from audiences. It marks the worst wide-release opening of Hathaway’s career, falling below her previous low, 2011’s One Day, which opened to $5 million.

Sony’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse rounds out the top five with an estimated total of $6.2 million in its seventh weekend, bringing its domestic total to $169 million. Earning an Oscar bump, Universal’s Green Book increased its total weekend haul by an estimated 150 percent, adding 1,518 locations in the wake of a slew of Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, for an estimated total of $5.4 million in the sixth spot.

Overall box office is down 13 percent year-to-date, according to Comscore. Check out the Jan. 25-27 numbers below.

1. Glass — $19 million
2. The Upside — $12.2 million
3. Aquaman — $7.4 million
4. The Kid Who Would Be King— $7.3 million
5. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse — $6.2 million
6. Green Book — $5.4 million
7. A Dog’s Way Home — $5.2 million
8. Serenity — $4.8 million
9. Escape Room — $4.3 million
10. Mary Poppins Returns — $3.1 million

M. Night Shyamalan’s Glass to top MLK box office with $47 million

M. Night Shyamalan’s Glass isn’t quite running over, but it’ll be enough to top the box office over the long Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.

The director’s superhero-themed sequel to Split and Unbreakable is on track to debut with an estimated $47.1 million in ticket sales at 3,841 theaters in the U.S. and Canada from Friday through Monday, making it the No. 1 film in North America by a wide margin. It also marks the third-best four-day MLK opening on the books, not adjusting for inflation, behind 2015’s American Sniper ($107.2 million) and 2014’s Ride Along ($48.6 million). That said, Glass is coming in a bit below expectations, as industry projections had it arriving with at least $55 million over four days.

From Friday through Sunday, Glass will take in about $40.6 million. By comparison, Split bowed with $40 million in 2017 (on its way to becoming a surprise hit), while Unbreakable opened with $30.3 million — about $49.7 million in today’s dollars — in 2000.

Shyamalan self-financed Glass, which reportedly cost about $20 million to make. It’s being distributed domestically by Universal Pictures, the studio behind Split, and internationally by Disney, the studio behind Unbreakable. Overseas, Glass will add about $48.5 million over the three-day period.

Featuring actors and characters from Split and Unbreakable, Glass stars Bruce Willis as a security guard with superhuman strength and a sixth sense about bad guys, who tangles with a murderous genius with brittle bones (Samuel L. Jackson) and an ex-zoo employee with multiple personalities (James McAvoy), one of whom is a feral killer known as the Beast. Critics’ reviews have been lukewarm, while audiences gave Glass a mediocre B CinemaScore.

In second place this weekend, the Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston dramedy The Upside is holding strong with an estimated $15.7 million from Friday through Sunday ($19.5 million through Monday), which represents a decline of just 23 percent from last week’s debut.

Warner Bros’. Aquaman will take third place with about $10.3 million through Sunday ($12.8 million through Monday), breaking the $300 million mark at the domestic box office (it already hit $1 billion worldwide).

Also making a strong showing this weekend is Funimation’s anime import Dragon Ball Super: Broly, in fourth place with an estimated $8.7 million through Sunday ($9.7 million through Monday) at 1,250 theaters.

Overall box office is down 13.3 percent year-to-date, according to Comscore. Check out the Jan. 18-20 numbers below.

1. Glass — $40.6 million
2. The Upside — $15.7 million
3. Aquaman — $10.3 million
4. Dragon Ball Super: Broly — $8.7 million
5. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse — $7.3 million
6. A Dog’s Way Home — $7.1 million
7. Escape Room — $5.3 million
8. Mary Poppins Returns — $5.2 million
9. Bumblebee — $4.7 million
10. On the Basis of Sex — $4 million

Aquaman threepeats at the box office with $30.7 million

New year, same box office champ.

Warner Bros’. superhero flick Aquaman is kicking off 2019 by topping the box office for a third consecutive weekend, earning an estimated $30.7 million at 4,184 theaters in the U.S. and Canada from Friday through Sunday. The weekend’s only new major release, Sony’s horror thriller Escape Room, is on pace for second place, taking in an estimated $18 million at 2,717 theaters and coming in ahead of expectations.

Through Sunday, Aquaman has grossed about $259.7 at the domestic box office and $681 million overseas ($56.2 of that coming this weekend), for a worldwide total of $940.7 million. This week, it became the highest-grossing entry in Warner Bros. and DC’s interconnected cinematic universe, surpassing Wonder Woman ($821.8 million) and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice ($873.6 million) in worldwide ticket sales.

Directed by James Wan (Furious 7, the Conjuring movies), Aquaman stars Jason Momoa as the eponymous undersea hero, who battles his power-hungry half-brother and tries to protect both Atlantis and the surface world. The cast also includes Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Nicole Kidman, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.

Meanwhile, Escape Room is off to a strong start, as it had been expected to debut in the $10 million range and only cost about $9 million to make. Directed by Adam Robitel and starring Deborah Ann Woll, Taylor Russell, and Logan Miller, the film follows a group of strangers who get caught in a deadly escape room. Critics’ reviews were unenthusiastic, and audiences gave it a B CinemaScore.

Rounding out the top five this weekend are Disney’s musical sequel Mary Poppins Returns, with an estimated $15.8 million; Sony’s animated adventure Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, with an estimated $13 million; and Paramount’s Transformers spin-off Bumblebee, with an estimated $12.8 million.

Overall box office is down 5.1 percent year-to-date, according to Comscore. Check out the Jan. 4-6 numbers below.

1. Aquaman — $30.7 million
2. Escape Room — $18 million
3. Mary Poppins Returns — $15.8 million
4. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse — $13 million
5. Bumblebee — $12.8 million
6. The Mule — $9 million
7. Vice — $5.8 million
8. Second Act — $4.9 million
9. Ralph Breaks the Internet — $4.7 million
10. Holmes and Watson — $3.4 million

Robert Downey Jr.’s Marvel contract expires with Avengers: Endgame

In just a few short months, Marvel Studios will unleash Avengers: Endgame, a landmark entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe which is set to serve as the culmination of the first three Phases of the MCU, as well as a “new beginning” for the hugely successful superhero universe.

As such, it’s expected that we’ll be saying goodbye to at least one of the MCU’s longest serving heroes in Endgame. We already know that Chris Evans (Captain America) and Chris Hemsworth’s (Thor) contracts are up with the fourth Avengers movie, and now it seems we can also add Robert Downey Jr. to that list.

Now of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean that Tony Stark, Steve Rogers and Thor are all going to die in Endgame (the likelihood of Marvel killing off three of the original Avengers in the same movie is surely pretty low indeed). It’s entirely possible that Marvel could negotiate new contracts with the stars, although that being said, it’s closing in on thirteen years since Downey was cast as Iron Man, and one has to assume that he’s not going to want to remain in the role forever.

Aquaman wins second weekend, capping a record year at the box office

The king of Atlantis is reigning over the box office for the second weekend in a row.

Warner Bros’. superhero movie Aquaman is on pace to sell an estimated $51.6 million in tickets at 4,125 theaters in the U.S. and Canada from Friday through Sunday, continuing its run as the No. 1 film in North America in its sophomore weekend. That figure represents a decline of just 24 percent from its debut and, along with an estimated $85.4 million international haul this weekend, brings the film’s worldwide total to $748.8 million. (It’s the No. 1 film globally for the fourth consecutive week.)

Aquaman’s strong second frame caps a record year at the box office after a lackluster 2017. On Sunday, domestic revenue for 2018 crossed $11.8 billion, up nearly 7 percent from the year before and ahead of 2016’s previous all-time high of about $11.4 billion.

In second place this weekend, Disney’s musical sequel Mary Poppins Returns will take in about $28 million, which marks a 19-percent increase from its opening and brings the film’s domestic total to about $98.9 million after 12 days in theaters. Overseas, it’s earned about $56.9 million, with $28.9 of that coming this weekend.

Rounding out the top five are Paramount’s Transformers spin-off Bumblebee, with an estimated $20.5 million; Sony’s animated adventure Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, with an estimated $18.3 million; and Warner Bros’. drug drama The Mule, with an estimated $11.8 million.

There were no new major releases this weekend, but two films that opened on Christmas Day will crack the top 10: Annapurna’s Dick Cheney biopic Vice will take in about $7.8 million for the weekend, good for sixth place, while Sony’s comedy Holmes and Watson will take in about $7.3 million, putting it in seventh place.

In limited release, Sony Pictures Classics’ Laurel and Hardy movie Stan and Ollie is bowing in five theaters with an estimated $79,674, which works out to a per-screen average of $15,935.

Check out the Dec. 28-30 numbers below, via Comscore.

1. Aquaman — $51.6 million
2. Mary Poppins Returns — $28 million
3. Bumblebee — $20.5 million
4. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse — $18.3 million
5. The Mule — $11.8 million
6. Vice — $7.8 million
7. Holmes and Watson — $7.3 million
8. Second Act — $7.2 million
9. Ralph Breaks the Internet — $6.5 million
10. The Grinch — $4.2 million

Aquaman arrives on a $67 million wave, conquering pre-Christmas box office

A magical English nanny and a kindhearted yellow Transformer are no match for DC’s wettest superhero this weekend.

The splashy comic-book movie Aquaman, starring Jason Momoa as the half-Atlantean tough guy, is on track to earn an estimated $67.4 million at 4,125 theaters in the U.S. and Canada from Friday through Sunday — topping the box office and besting fellow new releases Mary Poppins Returns and Bumblebee. Together, though, the wave of high-profile pre-Christmas movies should help close a record year for the North American box office, after a lackluster 2017. According to Comscore, this year’s domestic total should inch past 2016’s high-water mark of $11.383 billion on Sunday.

Made for about $200 million, Aquaman is opening in line industry projections, which were in the $65 million to $70 million range. (Including paid sneak previews, its domestic total is an estimated $72.1 million.) Overseas, where the movie began rolling out two weeks ago, it has already grossed about $410.7 million (with $91.3 million of that coming this weekend), bringing its worldwide total to about $482.8 million.

Aquaman comes as the first of Warner Bros’. interconnected films based on DC Comics characters to open since last year’s all-star team-up Justice League, which debuted with $93.8 million but failed to impress critics or audiences. Along with the summer 2017 hit Wonder Woman — which opened to $103.3 million and went on to earn $821.9 million worldwide — Aquaman could help recalibrate the dour tone and crossover-heavy approach of WB’s superhero mega-franchise (as seen in films like Suicide Squad and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice).

Directed by James Wan (Furious 7, the Conjuring movies), Aquaman follows Momoa’s eponymous hero as he battles his power-hungry half-brother and tries to protect surface dwellers and ocean folk alike. The cast also includes Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Nicole Kidman, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Critics’ reviews have been measured but generally favorable, and moviegoers gave it an A-minus CinemaScore.

In second place, Disney’s sequel Mary Poppins Returns is edging out Paramount’s Transformers spin-off Bumblebee, with the former earning an estimated $22.2 million and the latter taking in about $21 million. Both figures are below industry projections, though time will tell if they make up ground over the Christmas holiday.

Released on Wednesday, Mary Poppins Returns is headed toward a five-day domestic opening of about $31 million, and it will add about $20.3 million in foreign markets. The film represents Disney’s latest effort to revive one of its iconic properties, and stars Emily Blunt as the practically perfect governess, following in the footsteps of Julie Andrews in the classic 1964 film. Returns also features Lin-Manuel Miranda, Emily Mortimer, and Ben Whishaw, and is directed by Rob Marshall. Reviews have been positive, and audiences gave it an A-minus CinemaScore.

Bumblebee also garnered an A-minus CinemaScore, to go with overwhelmingly positive reviews. Directed by Travis Knight (Kubo and the Two Strings) and starring Hailee Steinfeld as a girl who befriends a shapeshifting VW Bug, the film is a smaller-scaled outing than the Michael Bay-directed Transformers movies, and one the studio hopes will reinvigorate the series.

Overseas, Bumblebee will add about $31.1 million this weekend, and it’s set to debut Jan. 4 in China, where the Transformers movies have proved popular.

Also launching this weekend are STX’s rom-com Second Act, starring Jennifer Lopez, with an estimated $6.5 million, good for seventh place, and Universal’s offbeat drama Welcome to Marwen, starring Steve Carell, in ninth place with an underwhelming $2.4 million.

Two holdovers round out the top five: Sony’s animated flick Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, with an estimated $16.7 million, and Warner Bros’. crime drama The Mule, with an estimated $9.3 million.

In limited release, Amazon Studios opened the Polish drama Cold War in three locations this weekend, earning $55,727 (a per-theater average of $18,575).

Overall box office is up 7.5 percent year-to-date. See the Dec. 21-23 figures below.

1. Aquaman — $67.4 million
2. Mary Poppins Returns — $22.2 million
3. Bumblebee — $21 million
4. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse — $16.7 million
5. The Mule — $9.3 million
6. The Grinch — $8.2 million
7. Second Act — $6.5 million
8. Ralph Breaks the Internet — $4.6 million
9. Welcome to Marwen — $2.4 million
10. Mary Queen of Scots — $2.2 million