Weekend Box Office (November 1 - 3, 2019)
THIS WEEKEND R-rated franchise pics led the box office as Terminator: Dark Fate opened at number one, though with less strength than anticipated, and the long-lasting Joker held steady in second with the smallest decline of any holdover in wide release.
Paramount seized control of the number one spot with Dark Fate which reunited franchise stars Arnold Schwarzenegger with Linda Hamilton for the first time since 1991's Terminator 2 and bowed to an estimated $29M. Even with James Cameron back as a writer and producer, audiences only showed so much interest and Dark Fate now looks like it will struggle to reach the $89.8M of 2015's Genisys and take over the distinction of being the lowest-grossing Terminator sequel. Clearly fan excitement was not reignited here.
As with most older action franchises, the story was brighter overseas. TDF opened to $72.9M from international markets led by China's $28M which nearly matched the North America result. The global weekend was $101.9M and the cume is now $123.6M including some grosses from earlier European openings a week earlier.
The Disney sequel Maleficent: Mistress of Evil fell from the top spot after two weeks there and took in an estimated $12.2M, off 37%. The new totals are $84.3M from North America, a much stronger $298.9M from overseas, and $383.2M worldwide.
The period drama Harriet enjoyed a strong debut in fourth place with an estimated $12M from 2,059 locations for a solid $5,829 average. The R-rated film from Focus earned reviews that were generally positive but audience reactions were through the roof with a perfect A+ CinemaScore. Demos were 62% female, 59% over 35, and 49% black. Encouraging word of mouth could keep Harriet going over the weeks ahead.
Hit toon The Addams Family remained in the top five for a fourth weekend with an estimated $8.5M, off only 29%, for a cume of $85.3M for UA and MGM. The Sony sequel Zombieland: Double Tap dropped 38% to an estimated $7.4M for $59.3M overall.
The STX thriller Countdown followed with an estimated $5.9M, down 34%, and $17.8M to date. Cop saga Black and Blue fell 52% in its sophomore session to an estimated $4.1M and $15.4M overall for Sony.
Struggling to find an audience was the Edward Norton project Motherless Brooklyn which debuted in moderate release with 1,342 locations grossing an estimated $3.7M for a weak $2,720 average. Reviews were mixed for the R-rated pic from Warner Bros.
Performing even worse was the animated film Arctic Dogs which found no takers opening to an estimated $3.1M from 2,844 locations for a miserable average of $1,090. Moviegoers want to consume many of these new releases at home on a streaming service and not pay top dollar at their local theater.
The top ten films grossed an estimated $99.6M which was down 23% from last year when Bohemian Rhapsody opened at number one with $51.1M; and down 40% from 2017 when Thor: Ragnarok debuted on top with $122.7M.
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Last Updated: November 3, 2019 at 12:20PM ET
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