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There was plenty of good news at both home and abroad this weekend as two splashy newcomers scored impressive debuts, providing a ray of hope to the hit-starved studios just in time for the upcoming summer blockbuster season. On the domestic front, Universal’s rookie shoot-em-up Nobody, starring unlikely action hero Bob Odenkirk, came blasting out of the gate with a $6.7 million opening. Meanwhile, overseas, Warner Bros.’ big-budget clash of the titans, Godzilla vs. Kong, roared with a monster-sized $121.8 million bow.

The old saying that the rising tide lifts all boats was certainly true this weekend as the re-opening of Los Angeles’ movie houses goosed ticket sales across the board, sparking hopes that a theatrical rebound may finally be on the horizon.

It was a very good weekend for the Mouse House. On the domestic front, Disney’s computer-animated adventure Raya and the Last Dragon repeated as the No. 1 movie in North America for the second straight week, pulling in $5.5 million in its sophomore frame. Meanwhile, overseas, the studio re-released a film from the other major it acquired, 20th Century Fox, and its 2009 mega-blockbuster, Avatar. That lured enough ticket buyers in China to help push it past Avengers: Endgame and reclaim its crown as the highest-grossing movie of all time.

If there’s one thing that the past year’s pandemic has taught the movie business, it’s that kid-friendly titles have become the new industry heavyweights. Hard on the heels of box-office perennial, The Croods: A New Age, and last weekend’s newly-crowned champ, Tom and Jerry, a new animated film once again claimed the top spot—Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon—which debuted at No. 1 in North American theaters this weekend with $8.6 million.

And a warring cat and mouse shall lead them…. Just when it was beginning to look as if the sleepy winter box office couldn’t get drearier, along came Warner Bros.’ Tom and Jerry to give North American movie theaters a shot in the arm—and a conk on the head or two.

Despite being available on premium VOD since the week before Christmas, The Croods: A New Age just keeps going…and going…and going at the box office. The unstoppable sequel from Universal and DreamWorks remained the top movie in North America this weekend, pulling in $1.7 million in its thirteenth week in theaters and simultaneously beating out a handful of more recent Oscar hopefuls that are struggling to turn their awards-season buzz into robust ticket sales.

It feels like they’ve been hanging around in the Top 5 at the box office since, well, the Stone Age. And now, over a slow Presidents' Day weekend, the persistence of those prehistoric protagonists has finally paid off as The Croods: A New Age returned to the top spot in its twelfth week in theaters, edging out Warner Bros.’ critically acclaimed newcomer, Judas and the Black Messiah.

With the blockbuster match-up of Tom Brady versus Patrick Mahomes on tap for the Super Bowl, ticket buyers opted to stay at home with their nachos and three-bean dips rather than venture to the multiplex over the weekend. The result was a slow session at the domestic box office, where Denzel Washington ’s The Little Things held onto the top spot in its second week of release, pulling in a soft $2.1 million.

It turns out that even in the midst of a global pandemic, there are still some A-list movie stars who can pull die-hard movie fans into theaters. Denzel Washington proved to be one such draw this weekend as his new crime thriller, The Little Things, debuted at No. 1 with a muscular $4.8 million haul despite also being available on the HBO Max streaming service. It marked the biggest R-rated opening since mid-March, right before the COVID pandemic shuttered most of the nation’s movie houses.

In another sluggish session at the domestic box office, Liam Neeson once again proved to be Mr. Reliable by holding onto the top spot for the second straight weekend with his latest outing, The Marksman. The PG-13-rated border thriller from indie studio Open Road Films put $2 million into its crosshairs, edging out a soft field still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moviegoers didn’t have much time to miss Liam Neeson, whose Honest Thief debuted in the top box-office spot back in October. Because now, just three months later, the AARP action star is back and this time he’s No. 1 with a bullet as his latest thriller, The Marksman, pulled in $3.2 million over the weekend and in total $3.7 million including the MLK Jr. holiday —more than enough to finally unseat Wonder Woman 1984, which had spent three straight weeks as the highest-grossing movie in North America.

Without much in the way of fresh competition at the box office, Warner Bros.’ Wonder Woman 1984 lassoed the top spot for the third straight weekend with a soft $3 million haul in North American theaters over the weekend. While it initially appeared as if the DC crime-fighter might be the studio’s savior when she debuted on Christmas Day, three weeks in, her momentum seems to have stalled as moviegoers remain wary about returning to the shrinking number of theaters still open for business.

Hollywood studios and the nation’s exhibitors weren’t the only ones eager to put 2020 in their rear-view mirrors. But any hopes that the first weekend of 2021 would mark an instant rebound were quickly dashed when the receipts for the New Year’s holiday weekend were tallied.

For months, all eyes have been on Wonder Woman 1984, the most high-profile film still standing for a 2020 theatrical release. Well, the wait finally ended over the Christmas holiday weekend and the DC superhero delivered with a muscular $16.7 million domestic debut, far exceeding industry expectations and setting a new COVID-era record at the box office in the process.

In another slow weekend at the domestic box office, Screen Gems’ Monster Hunter managed to finally unseat The Croods, debuting at No.1 with $2.2 million. It was the first time in nine weeks that a movie from a studio other than Universal sat in the top spot.

With no new major competition at the domestic box office, Universal and DreamWorks’ animated sequel The Croods: A New Age repeated at No. 1 with $3 million in its third week in theaters. The PG-rated film, which features the voices of Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, and Ryan Reynolds, has racked up $24.3 million in North America to date, making it a rare commercial success story during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

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.

Universal and DreamWorks’ animated sequel The Croods: A New Age came out of the gate with surprising force, pulling in $9.7 million at the domestic box office and easily securing the No. 1 spot over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The PG-rated film, which features the voices of Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, and Ryan Reynolds, has racked up $17 million in North America since its Wednesday opening, making it a rare and much-needed pandemic-era blockbuster.

Universal and Blumhouse’s body-swap horror-comedy Freaky held onto the top spot at North American theaters over the weekend, but its anemic $1.2 million haul is further proof that the box office has become a scary place as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches and COVID-19 cases continue to surge.

While the box office has been a scary place over the past eight months, it just got a little scarier (in a good way) thanks to the new Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton horror thriller Freaky, which debuted at No. 1 in North America this weekend with $3.7 million.