It was a very strong holiday weekend for holdovers and new comers alike at the box office. Here’s what went down:
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 held on to the top spot for the second weekend in a row, bringing in an estimated $50.3 million over the three-day weekend. It’s total now stands at $197.1 million which, while behind the first Mockingjay, is still an outstanding number.
Opening in second place was the Disney-Pixar film The Good Dinosaur, which brought an estimated $39.5 million. Though not as high as some other Pixar films, clearly this was the pick for families over the long weekend.
Debuting in third place with $28.7 million was the critically acclaimed seventh film in the Rocky franchise, Creed, with Michael B. Jordan playing the role of Apollo Creed’s son, Adonis and Sylvester Stallone returning as Rocky Balboa in a Mickey-type role. I had the chance to see Creed Saturday night and it was, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the best films I’ve seen this year. Director and co-writer Ryan Coogler walked into the franchise as a die-hard fan of the previous films, and worked hard to get Stallone onboard for a film he would neither writer nor direct. Coogler nails everything that matters about Rocky – the heart, determination and the soul of men trying to find purpose – and delivers a superior movie. Jordan is outstanding and carries the film, though many with rogue that Stallone is an absolutely revelation. Rocky Balboa has always brought the best in Stallone and he simply delivers a heartfelt, moving performance. There’s talk of an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor and in my mind, Stallone absolutely deserves one. You can walk in blind to Creed and still get so much out of it. Highly recommended, and it’s great to see audiences responding to the film by turning out.
As for the rest of the top five, Spectre was in fourth place with $12.7 million, while The Peanuts Movie closed things out in fifth with $9.8 million.
So, to recap, here were our predictions:
1) The Good Dinosur – $60 million
2) The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 – $48 million
3) Creed – $26 million
4) Spectre – $10 million
5) The Peanuts Movie – $9.5 million
And here’s how the weekend is estimated to turn out:
1) The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 – $50.3
2) The Good Dinosaur – $39.5 million
3) Creed – $28.7 million
4) Spectre – $12.7 million
5) The Peanuts Movie – $9.8 million
Next weekend see the release of the holiday horror film, Krampus. Be sure to check back on Friday to see our predictions.
