Of the two new sequels in theatres this weekend, one emerged as the expected smash it was always going to be. Meanwhile, two well-received indies starring actresses over 65 got some Top 10 love.
Debuting at #1, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice had one of the biggest opening weekends of all time, and that’s despite the horrendous reviews. But this film was destined to be huge. You know it would have gotten these numbers no matter the cast or the director. The real question here is how this film will do next week. Is word-of-mouth going to be as negative as reviews are? Will this film drop out of sight relatively quickly, with large declines each week? Stay tuned.
At #2, Zootopia continued to do excellent business in its fourth week, thanks in no small part to its not having any competition at all. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, the week’s other new release, premiered at #3. This is surely a decent number considering the sequel’s likely low budget, and considering that this film comes 14 years after its predecessor. It has no chance, though, of coming anywhere close to the first film’s unexpectedly blockbuster numbers.
At #4 and 5, Miracles from Heaven and The Divergent Series: Allegiant did identical business, and in fact we won’t know which title to list first until the final numbers come in Monday afternoon. With its tiny budget, Miracles is a huge financial success. No such luck for Allegiant, however — this is a massive flop.
The next three slots in the Top 10 went to familiar titles doing solid business. At #6, 10 Cloverfield Lane continued its very good run, while, at #7, Deadpool is starting to slow down nearly two months in, now that it faces “super” competition at the box office. London Has Fallen, meanwhile, came in at #8 and may just make back its production budget.
Indie romantic comedy Hello, My Name is Doris cracked its way to #9 in its third week. The film gives a starring role to Sally Field, and we should all go support it. Rounding out the Top 10, Eye in the Sky, a thoughtful military drama starring Helen Mirren and others. Sure, these two films only made it into the Top 10 due to the wide releases doing REALLY badly… but it’s great to give this kind of spotlight to less-heralded films with older actresses in the lead roles. Especially since both are supposed to be really good.
| TW | LW | Title | Gross (est.) | Cumulative (est.) | Weeks in Release |
| 1 | N | Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice | $170,100,000 | $170,100,000 | 1 |
| 2 | 1 | Zootopia | $23,138,000 | $240,547,409 | 4 |
| 3 | N | My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 | $18,120,000 | $18,120,000 | 1 |
| 4 | 3 | Miracles from Heaven | $9,500,000 | $34,127,249 | 2 |
| 5 | 2 | The Divergent Series: Allegiant | $9,500,000 | $46,605,496 | 2 |
| 6 | 4 | 10 Cloverfield Lane | $6,000,000 | $56,010,797 | 3 |
| 7 | 5 | Deadpool | $5,000,000 | $349,472,050 | 7 |
| 8 | 6 | London Has Fallen | $2,926,000 | $55,614,857 | 4 |
| 9 | 14 | Hello, My Name Is Doris | $1,700,925 | $3,268,689 | 3 |
| 10 | 21 | Eye in the Sky | $1,001,204 | $1,723,311 | 3 |
Source: Box Office Mojo
What did you see this weekend?
