‘The Croods: A New Age’ Repeats At No. 1 with $4.4 Million Over the Post-Thanksgiving Weekend as Universal Dominates the Charts
Universal and DreamWorks’ animated sequel The Croods: A New Age repeated at No. 1 over the sleepy post-Thanksgiving weekend, pulling in $4.4 million in its second frame at the domestic box office. The PG-rated film, which features the voices of Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, and Ryan Reynolds, has racked up $20.3 million in North America since its opening ten days ago, making it a rare commercial success story amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
A follow-up to the 2013 family hit which took in $43.6 million during its debut weekend seven years ago (on the way to earning $187.2 million during its North American theatrical run), The Croods: A New Age dipped -54.8% in its sophomore session, scoring a $1,995 per-screen average in 2,205 theaters. Overseas, the film has added $40.3 million to date, bringing its cumulative worldwide gross to $60.6 million. However, The Croods’ welcome boost to exhibitors’ bottom lines may be short-lived as the animated title will become available on premium VOD after next weekend.
With The Croods and two new debuts from Universal this weekend (including its Focus Features specialty division), the studio dominated the Top Five once again. Unlike most of the majors, which have pushed their biggest titles to 2021 and beyond, Universal continues to actively release films thanks to deals with two of the largest theater chains, AMC and Cinemark, that allow for shorter theatrical windows before moving its releases to VOD and streaming platforms. One of those newcomers was Focus’ Half Brothers, which bowed in second place. The PG-13-rated, road-trip comedy, which stars Luis Gerardo Mendez and Connor Del Rio as estranged relatives born on opposite sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, came out of the gate with $720,000 in 1,369 theaters, which translates to a $525 per-screen average. It has not opened internationally yet.
In third place was Universal and Blumhouse’s body-swap horror-comedy Freaky, which scared up $460,000 in its fourth frame, dropping off -42.5% from the previous week. The R-rated film, which stars Vince Vaughn as a serial killer and Kathryn Newton as a high-school student who switch bodies on Friday the 13th, had a $306 per-screen average in 1,502 theaters. Freaky has earned $7.7 million domestically so far and $5.6 million internationally, bringing its worldwide box office total to $13.3 million.
In fourth place was the other rookie from Universal, All My Life, which pulled in $350,000 over its opening weekend. The PG-13-rated romantic tearjerker starring Jessica Rothe and Harry Shum Jr. as a couple whose wedding plans are thrown off course when the groom is diagnosed with cancer managed a $360 per-screen average in 970 theaters. The film added $730,000 abroad, bringing its worldwide box office total to $1.1 million.
In fifth place—and the only non-Universal title in the Top Five—was 101 Studios’ The War with Grandpa, which earned $329,359 in its ninth week, falling -44.4% from the prior session. The PG-rated comedy starring Robert De Niro had a $256 per-screen average in 1,285 theaters. Its North American box-office total now stands at $17.6 million. The kid-friendly comedy has also added $8.5 million overseas, bringing its worldwide tally to $26.1 million. The only other debuts of note were a pair of re-releases with heavy-duty name recognition. Disney dug into its Christmas stocking from yuletides past and pulled out its 1988 blockbuster Die Hard (a timely choice since the Bruce Willis action classic is set on Christmas Eve). The film, which eared $141.5 million at the worldwide box office 32 years ago, landed in the No. 10 spot, where it racked up $189,000 in 1,172 theaters (for a $161 per-screen average). Meanwhile, Paramount reintroduced a newly re-edited version of 1990’s The Godfather: Part III (which has been retitled The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone). The Al Pacino mob epic, which raked in $136.7 million worldwide in its original run, bowed at No. 15 with $52,000 in 179 theaters for a $290 per-screen average.
However, the biggest box-office news of the week didn’t come from what was playing in theaters, but rather what wouldn’t be playing in theaters. On the heels of its announcement that Wonder Woman 1984 would debut on HBO Max in addition to theaters on Christmas Day, Warner Bros. delivered another bombshell. The studio said that all of its 2021 titles, which includes potential blockbusters such as James Gunn's The Suicide Squad, Godzilla vs. Kong, In the Heights, Dune, and The Matrix 4, would follow the same roll-out game plan as Wonder Woman, launching simultaneously in theaters and on its HBO Max streaming service.
Needless to say, theater chains were less than happy about the new Warner Bros. strategy as their stock prices fell after the announcement. It will interesting to see if the other major Hollywood studios follow suit.
A follow-up to the 2013 family hit which took in $43.6 million during its debut weekend seven years ago (on the way to earning $187.2 million during its North American theatrical run), The Croods: A New Age dipped -54.8% in its sophomore session, scoring a $1,995 per-screen average in 2,205 theaters. Overseas, the film has added $40.3 million to date, bringing its cumulative worldwide gross to $60.6 million. However, The Croods’ welcome boost to exhibitors’ bottom lines may be short-lived as the animated title will become available on premium VOD after next weekend.
With The Croods and two new debuts from Universal this weekend (including its Focus Features specialty division), the studio dominated the Top Five once again. Unlike most of the majors, which have pushed their biggest titles to 2021 and beyond, Universal continues to actively release films thanks to deals with two of the largest theater chains, AMC and Cinemark, that allow for shorter theatrical windows before moving its releases to VOD and streaming platforms. One of those newcomers was Focus’ Half Brothers, which bowed in second place. The PG-13-rated, road-trip comedy, which stars Luis Gerardo Mendez and Connor Del Rio as estranged relatives born on opposite sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, came out of the gate with $720,000 in 1,369 theaters, which translates to a $525 per-screen average. It has not opened internationally yet.
In third place was Universal and Blumhouse’s body-swap horror-comedy Freaky, which scared up $460,000 in its fourth frame, dropping off -42.5% from the previous week. The R-rated film, which stars Vince Vaughn as a serial killer and Kathryn Newton as a high-school student who switch bodies on Friday the 13th, had a $306 per-screen average in 1,502 theaters. Freaky has earned $7.7 million domestically so far and $5.6 million internationally, bringing its worldwide box office total to $13.3 million.
In fourth place was the other rookie from Universal, All My Life, which pulled in $350,000 over its opening weekend. The PG-13-rated romantic tearjerker starring Jessica Rothe and Harry Shum Jr. as a couple whose wedding plans are thrown off course when the groom is diagnosed with cancer managed a $360 per-screen average in 970 theaters. The film added $730,000 abroad, bringing its worldwide box office total to $1.1 million.
In fifth place—and the only non-Universal title in the Top Five—was 101 Studios’ The War with Grandpa, which earned $329,359 in its ninth week, falling -44.4% from the prior session. The PG-rated comedy starring Robert De Niro had a $256 per-screen average in 1,285 theaters. Its North American box-office total now stands at $17.6 million. The kid-friendly comedy has also added $8.5 million overseas, bringing its worldwide tally to $26.1 million. The only other debuts of note were a pair of re-releases with heavy-duty name recognition. Disney dug into its Christmas stocking from yuletides past and pulled out its 1988 blockbuster Die Hard (a timely choice since the Bruce Willis action classic is set on Christmas Eve). The film, which eared $141.5 million at the worldwide box office 32 years ago, landed in the No. 10 spot, where it racked up $189,000 in 1,172 theaters (for a $161 per-screen average). Meanwhile, Paramount reintroduced a newly re-edited version of 1990’s The Godfather: Part III (which has been retitled The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone). The Al Pacino mob epic, which raked in $136.7 million worldwide in its original run, bowed at No. 15 with $52,000 in 179 theaters for a $290 per-screen average.
However, the biggest box-office news of the week didn’t come from what was playing in theaters, but rather what wouldn’t be playing in theaters. On the heels of its announcement that Wonder Woman 1984 would debut on HBO Max in addition to theaters on Christmas Day, Warner Bros. delivered another bombshell. The studio said that all of its 2021 titles, which includes potential blockbusters such as James Gunn's The Suicide Squad, Godzilla vs. Kong, In the Heights, Dune, and The Matrix 4, would follow the same roll-out game plan as Wonder Woman, launching simultaneously in theaters and on its HBO Max streaming service.
Needless to say, theater chains were less than happy about the new Warner Bros. strategy as their stock prices fell after the announcement. It will interesting to see if the other major Hollywood studios follow suit.
