There’s something strange at the box office this weekend, and it managed to score with audiences. Here’s what went down:
Marvel’s Doctor Strange debut in first place this weekend with an outstanding $85 million. That’s definitely off from our predictions, but to be fair, I was shooting high with that one. The number is $0.7 million from Thor: The Dark World, the previous Marvel film to debut in November and one that wasn’t debuting a brand new MCU characters. Reviews have been solid across the board, and I’d be surprising if Doctor Strange doesn’t top out over $200 million in North America by the end of its run. It’s yet another home run for Marvel Studios.
As for the rest of the top five, the animated family film Trolls had an excellent debut in second place with $45.6 million. The Mel Gibson-directed, Andrew Garfield-starring Hacksaw Ridge brought in the adult audience to land in third place with $14.75 million, while Boo! A Madea Halloween was in fourth with $7.8 million. Inferno closed things out in fifth place with a horrible $6.2 million – file this one under massive bomb.
So, to recap, here were our predictions:
1) Doctor Strange – $101 million
2) Trolls – $41 million
3) Hacksaw Ridge – $15 million
4) Boo! A Madea Halloween – $7 million
5) Jack Reacher: Never Look Back – $5.5 million
And here’s how the weekend is estimated to turn out:
1) Doctor Strange – $85 million
2) Trolls – $45.6 million
3) Hacksaw Ridge – $14.75 million
4) Boo! A Madea Halloween – $7.8 million
5) Inferno – $6.2 million
Next weekend sees the release of Almost Christmas, Arrival, and Shut In. Be sure to check back on Friday to see our predictions.
