'Downton Abbey' Serves Up Record, $31 Million Opening for Focus Features
It was a record weekend for Focus Features that saw Downton Abbey not only top the weekend box office, but it became the studio's largest opener ever, topping $30 million. The weekend's fellow new releases — Ad Astra and Rambo: Last Blood — delivered on expectations and are in a neck-and-neck battle for runner-up position and we'll have to wait for actuals to tell the full story on Monday afternoon.
With an estimated $31 million, Focus Features's Downton Abbey topped the weekend box office, giving the studio their largest opening weekend ever. Previously, Insidious Chapter 3 was the studio's record opener with $22.7 million followed by London Has Fallen, also making this their first release to ever top $30 million in nearly 20 years of film distribution. The film played to a crowd that was 74% female and of the total audience, 60% were aged 35 or older. Working in the film's favor was a positive, "A" CinemaScore from opening day audiences to go along with a 96% audience score on RottenTomatoes and 7.8/10 user rating on IMDb. All that said, it will be curious to see how the film performs next weekend given more than $4 million of the film's opening weekend gross was as a result of pre-weekend previews, though it did hold on well over the weekend suggesting a solid hold may be upcoming next weekend.
Internationally, after debuting in 17 markets last weekend, Downton Abbey added another 15 this week for a total of 32, from which the film brought in an estimated $10 million for the weekend for an overseas cume that currently stands just shy of $31 million. New markets were led by a $1.3 million debut in Germany while the UK remains the top overall market where the film added another $3.6 million in its second weekend for a cume that now totals $15.6 million. Next weekend the film will debut in France, Belgium and Denmark.
Second place is neck-and-neck at this time with Disney's release of Fox's sci-fi feature Ad Astra narrowly edging out Lionsgate and Millennium's Rambo: Last Blood, both bringing just over $19 million. At this time the edge goes to Ad Astra with an estimated $19.2 million from 3,460 locations. Reported to have been made for anywhere to $80-100+ million, the performance is hardly the kind of start the studio could have hoped for, not to mention the so-so "B-" CinemaScore from opening weekend audiences which were 54% male and 73% aged 25 or older.
Internationally, the film opened in 44 markets and hauled in an estimated $26 million for a $45.2 million global debut. Leading the way were $2.8 million openings in both Korea and the UK, followed by France ($2.7m), Spain ($2.2m), Japan ($2.2m), Mexico ($1.4m) and Australia ($1.3m). The film will debut in Italy, Russia and Brazil next weekend.
Just behind Ad Astra is Lionsgate and Millennium's Rambo: Last Blood with an estimated $19 million. The performance is just ahead of the $18.2 million opening for the last return of the title character in Rambo eleven years ago when the film opened with $18.2 million, albeit in nearly one thousand fewer locations. Working in the film's favor when compared to the performance for Ad Astra is it was made for a reported $50 million. Opening day audiences gave the film a "B" CinemaScore and the makeup of that audience was 66% male.
WB and New Line's It: Chapter Two finished in fourth position, dipping -56% in its third weekend in release for an estimated $17.2 million and a domestic cume that now tops $179 million. The sequel ranks as the third largest R-rated horror of all-time domestically and will soon become only the third R-rated horror to ever top $200 million at the domestic box office. Internationally, the film added another $21.3 million for an overseas cume that now totals over $205 million and a worldwide total topping $385 million.
Rounding out the top five is STXfilms's Hustlers with a solid second weekend performance, dipping just -49% for an estimated $17 million three-day and a domestic cume that now stands at $62.5 million. The film now ranks as the fourth largest release for STX all-time and will soon top A Bad Moms Christmas on its way to topping $100 million and perhaps challenging Bad Moms to become the studio's largest domestic release ever. The film also added another $3 million from 18 international markets currently in release for an overseas cume that now stands just shy of $10 million for a global tally topping $72 million.
In limited release, after two Fathom screenings earlier in the week, GKIDs debuted Promare in 31 theaters where it brought in an estimated $88,044 ($2,840 PTA); Fox International's The Zoya Factor opened in 100 locations with an estimated $79,000 ($790 PTA); Sony Classics opened Where's My Roy Cohn? in four locations with an estimated $42,364 ($10,591 PTA); IFC's Loro brought in $5,567 in one theater; Oscilloscope's Midnight Traveler delivered $4,200, also from one location; and Cohen Media's Britt-Marie was Here debuted in three theaters with $4,090 ($1,363 PTA).
Next weekend Universal will debut Abominable in over 4,100 locations, serving as the first animated wide release in over a month.
You can check out all of this weekend's estimated results right here and we'll be updating our charts with weekend actuals on Monday afternoon.
Discuss this story with fellow Box Office Mojo fans on Facebook. On Twitter, follow us at @boxofficemojo.
With an estimated $31 million, Focus Features's Downton Abbey topped the weekend box office, giving the studio their largest opening weekend ever. Previously, Insidious Chapter 3 was the studio's record opener with $22.7 million followed by London Has Fallen, also making this their first release to ever top $30 million in nearly 20 years of film distribution. The film played to a crowd that was 74% female and of the total audience, 60% were aged 35 or older. Working in the film's favor was a positive, "A" CinemaScore from opening day audiences to go along with a 96% audience score on RottenTomatoes and 7.8/10 user rating on IMDb. All that said, it will be curious to see how the film performs next weekend given more than $4 million of the film's opening weekend gross was as a result of pre-weekend previews, though it did hold on well over the weekend suggesting a solid hold may be upcoming next weekend.
Internationally, after debuting in 17 markets last weekend, Downton Abbey added another 15 this week for a total of 32, from which the film brought in an estimated $10 million for the weekend for an overseas cume that currently stands just shy of $31 million. New markets were led by a $1.3 million debut in Germany while the UK remains the top overall market where the film added another $3.6 million in its second weekend for a cume that now totals $15.6 million. Next weekend the film will debut in France, Belgium and Denmark.
Second place is neck-and-neck at this time with Disney's release of Fox's sci-fi feature Ad Astra narrowly edging out Lionsgate and Millennium's Rambo: Last Blood, both bringing just over $19 million. At this time the edge goes to Ad Astra with an estimated $19.2 million from 3,460 locations. Reported to have been made for anywhere to $80-100+ million, the performance is hardly the kind of start the studio could have hoped for, not to mention the so-so "B-" CinemaScore from opening weekend audiences which were 54% male and 73% aged 25 or older.
Internationally, the film opened in 44 markets and hauled in an estimated $26 million for a $45.2 million global debut. Leading the way were $2.8 million openings in both Korea and the UK, followed by France ($2.7m), Spain ($2.2m), Japan ($2.2m), Mexico ($1.4m) and Australia ($1.3m). The film will debut in Italy, Russia and Brazil next weekend.
Just behind Ad Astra is Lionsgate and Millennium's Rambo: Last Blood with an estimated $19 million. The performance is just ahead of the $18.2 million opening for the last return of the title character in Rambo eleven years ago when the film opened with $18.2 million, albeit in nearly one thousand fewer locations. Working in the film's favor when compared to the performance for Ad Astra is it was made for a reported $50 million. Opening day audiences gave the film a "B" CinemaScore and the makeup of that audience was 66% male.
WB and New Line's It: Chapter Two finished in fourth position, dipping -56% in its third weekend in release for an estimated $17.2 million and a domestic cume that now tops $179 million. The sequel ranks as the third largest R-rated horror of all-time domestically and will soon become only the third R-rated horror to ever top $200 million at the domestic box office. Internationally, the film added another $21.3 million for an overseas cume that now totals over $205 million and a worldwide total topping $385 million.
Rounding out the top five is STXfilms's Hustlers with a solid second weekend performance, dipping just -49% for an estimated $17 million three-day and a domestic cume that now stands at $62.5 million. The film now ranks as the fourth largest release for STX all-time and will soon top A Bad Moms Christmas on its way to topping $100 million and perhaps challenging Bad Moms to become the studio's largest domestic release ever. The film also added another $3 million from 18 international markets currently in release for an overseas cume that now stands just shy of $10 million for a global tally topping $72 million.
In limited release, after two Fathom screenings earlier in the week, GKIDs debuted Promare in 31 theaters where it brought in an estimated $88,044 ($2,840 PTA); Fox International's The Zoya Factor opened in 100 locations with an estimated $79,000 ($790 PTA); Sony Classics opened Where's My Roy Cohn? in four locations with an estimated $42,364 ($10,591 PTA); IFC's Loro brought in $5,567 in one theater; Oscilloscope's Midnight Traveler delivered $4,200, also from one location; and Cohen Media's Britt-Marie was Here debuted in three theaters with $4,090 ($1,363 PTA).
Next weekend Universal will debut Abominable in over 4,100 locations, serving as the first animated wide release in over a month.
You can check out all of this weekend's estimated results right here and we'll be updating our charts with weekend actuals on Monday afternoon.
Discuss this story with fellow Box Office Mojo fans on Facebook. On Twitter, follow us at @boxofficemojo.
