It was a weekend of surprises at the box office, as a new release managed to take down this season’s biggest hit. Here’s what went down:
Surprising virtually all pundits, The Boss Baby managed to unseat Beauty and the Beast from the top of the box office. The Alec Baldwin-voiced film from DreamWorks Animation brought in an estimated $51.6 million, an outstanding debut. Baldwin is certainly part of the current cultural zeitgeist thanks to his Saturday Night Live appearances, which made the film even more appealing for adults with children, even if reviews have been less than favourable.
Speaking of which, Ghost in the Shell was the weekend’s other high profile release, and it essentially bombed, debuting in third place with a less than stellar $20 million. Reviews have been horrible and the white-washing controversy may very well have played a part in audience ennui for this film. If Scarlett Johansson has any pull, she should be working with Marvel Studios to get a Black Widow movie made, stat.
As for the rest of the top five, Beauty and the Beast dropped to second place with $48.6 million, raising its total to $396.5 million. The film looks to be on track to bringing in close to $500 million in North America alone.
Power Rangers dropped to fourth place with $13.67 million, while Kong: Skull Island closed things out in fifth with $9.1 million.
So, to recap, here were our predictions:
1) Beauty and the Beast – $50 million
2) The Boss Baby – $35 million
3) Ghost in the Shell – $30 million
4) Power Rangers – $20.5 million
5) Kong: Skull Island – $9 million
And here’s how the weekend is estimated to turn out:
1) The Boss Baby – $51.6 million
2) Beauty and the Beast – $48.6 million
3) Ghost in the Shell – $20 million
4) Power Rangers – $13.67 million
5) Kong: Skull Island – $9.1 million
Next weekend sees the release of Going In Style and Smurfs: The Lost Village. Be sure to check back on Friday to see our predictions!
