Weekend Box Office Report: Easter Dips

Not quite a fruitful weekend for animation, considering the holiday and all...

Second place. The Boss Baby. Dropped 41%. Home did way better that weekend, so it looks like The Boss Baby will end up somewhere in the low-to-mid 160s, which is still pretty good. Worldwide it sits at $238 million, it is out everywhere now except in Kuwait and Poland. I guess it'll be another $300 million+ worldwide grosser for the studio. I wonder if they'll view it as a pass or a flop.

The little blue guys got hit even harder. Smurfs: The Lost Village fell 50%, an unusually big drop for an animated film on its second weekend. So much for taking advantage of that Easter timeframe, eh Sony? Domestically it's at $24 million and worldwide it's at $95 million. The last three markets are China, India, and South Korea. Could it triple its $60 million budget? Who knows, but I reckon the juice has run out and Sony might move onto other things.

All the way down in 24th place is ToonBox's Spark: A Space Tail. A movie that was completed in early 2016, screened to an audience at a film festival just about a year ago... Open Road Films sat on it, didn't ink a release date for a long, long while. Then they did, but didn't promote it. A trailer came out just a matter of weeks ago, and then it turned out that they had no use for it. It was dumped in a little over 350 theaters this weekend, not screened for critics, and the few reviews that seeped onto Rotten Tomatoes are pretty... Well... Unkind.

Makes me wonder how they'll handle Blazing Samurai and Arctic Justice: Thunder Squad, both of which are set to open next year and also don't carry any concrete release dates at the moment.

It opened with $112k. What was the point of even releasing it theatrically? Quite something, how an inoffensive, arguably DTV-grade picture like that can get a release this size while truly great works of animated art have to settle for tiny amounts of theaters. I was very curious about this picture for a long time, then the trailer showed up and while I didn't dislike what I saw, I did see that it was just another pic aimed at the roughly 6-10 set.

Sing and Moana still roll in some venues. The former: $270m DOM / $621m WW. The latter: $248m DOM / $637m WW.

GKIDS gave My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea an expectedly tiny release. $15k from 3 theaters.

No update on Your Name. yet.

Baby Beats Blue: 'Boss Baby' Tops Weekend, 'Smurfs' Opens Softly

Probably inconceivable back in October, DreamWorks' The Boss Baby may just secure the top spot on its second weekend.

Facing a pretty good-sized dip, the DreamWorks comedy is expected to take in around $25 million off of a $6 million Friday haul. Now that's a roughly 47% dip, but it would have it narrowly beating out Beauty and the Beast, which has entered the fourth weekend of its run.

That puts the picture on par with Home at the moment. That opened with $52 million and sank 48% on its second weekend, it too was a late March release. If The Boss Baby follows its trajectory, it should finish up with around $170 million domestically. Either way, it's going to be a domestic hit for DreamWorks. Now we shall see how the overseas grosses add up.

Smurfs: The Lost Village, Sony's all-animated restart of the Smurfs movie series, was no match for the baby. Opening soft with $4 million yesterday, projections have it at $13-14 million. A little lower than what The Smurfs 2 took in on opening weekend back in summer 2013. Given slightly better critical reception than its hybrid predecessors, Sony probably isn't worrying - the film is one of their cheapest to date. I'm hearing nothing but mixed things, but the consensus is basically "It's better than the hybrid movies." Some are saying it's pleasant and fun, others are saying it's mediocre and run-of-the-mill.

The film cost $60 million, and looks quite amazing on a budget that size. Shows that not every computer animated movie has to be this gargantuan $100-million production. Sony Animation has shown that time and time again, as has Illumination and other houses. The previous hybrids cost around $100-110 million to make, each... The second film's $347 million worldwide gross against that was what lead to this reboot.

So what went wrong? Audiences probably got tired of the schtick when Smurfs 2 was coming out, and didn't think this looked much better. I certainly had my doubts, instead of a fun adventure that respects the actually decent Peyo comics, it looked like a typical "kids" movie with forced "adult" jokes (haha, a Smurf is kicked in the groin!) and noise and such. Maybe the movie isn't just that, I don't know yet, but marketing can make something - regardless of how good or bad it may be - look crumby. With a smaller opening, it could still be pretty leggy.

Worldwide, it just has to top $150 million (2.5x the $60 million budget), which I think it will do with ease given the blue creatures' origins.

Your Name., in its limited run, debuted with $627k. Looks like it'll have a solid opening for an anime film. Hopefully it gets some traction...

UPDATE (4/10/2017): Totals are in...

The Boss Baby tops all at $26 million, down 47% from last weekend. This is looking at a Home run, pun shamelessly intended.

Smurfs: The Lost Village might've landed at #3, but took in $13 million - as expected - over the weekend.

Your Name. took in a solid $1.6 million. A wee bit below the $1.8 million Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' took in back in 2015, but I'll take what I can get. It isn't playing near me, unfortunately.

Sing still sings worldwide, now at $620 million. Moana is a few steps ahead at $634 million.

No Fooling: 'Boss Baby' Flies This Weekend

Fox and DreamWorks' marketing teams must've done something right...

The Boss Baby collected $15 million for its opening day, which could translate to a $50 million+ opening weekend gross. Basically, it's the next Home for the studio. Few had hopes for Home, projections had it in the mid-to-high 20s, low 30s at best... Then it dashed out of the gate with $52 million. Will The Boss Baby equal that? Top it? Or land somewhere below it?

Either way, it's thankfully not another flop for DreamWorks. As much as I don't want them to be rewarded for movies like these, I don't want to see animators get put out of a job. Even more surreal, it looks to top juggernaut Beauty and the Beast on the charts.

I'm honestly not surprised.

I know the theater I work at is just one theater out of 4,000+, buuuut... I'd say 90% of the customers there have all reacted positively to the posters and displays that we have. Things like "We gotta see that Baby Boss movie!" It kept making me think... "You know, this may not be a flop."

This is the fourth post-fallout success in a row for DreamWorks. Whether it was the marketing chief switch at the studio or not, they've been on steady ground. Home, Kung Fu Panda 3, Trolls, now this. Captain Underpants is the last Fox-distributed DreamWorks movie, and being an outsourced film, I don't think too much will be riding on its back.

UPDATE - Monday 4/3/2017

$50 million. Not too shabby. Quite a few millions above Kung Fu Panda 3 and Trolls, and just a little behind Home. With little family competition until the summer, I think Boss Baby should be fine. 3.0x multiplier at the minimum, which would translate to a $150 million domestic gross.

Consequently, The Lego Batman Movie lost over 800 screens, dropped 64%, and collected $750k for the weekend. It now sits at $172 million domestically and $297 million worldwide.

No big changes for Sing and Moana domestically, the former is at $614 million worldwide and the latter is at $628 million. Moana is now coming up on Big Hero 6's worldwide gross. Rock Dog lingers. Rose 11%, but it doesn't matter, the pic is still at $9 million stateside and about the same amount overseas.

Box Office Catchup: 'Batman' Holds On, 'Rock Dog' Disappears

A few weekends have gone by, nothing of note had really happened.

This weekend, The Lego Batman Movie held its own against Disney's beast of a movie. Still in the Top 10, The Lego Batman Movie collected $4 million for the weekend, and is now up to $167 million domestically. Worldwide, the film has pulled in $287 million, as it's still bubbling up overseas. Not a bad gross if you think about it, considering that The Lego Movie made less than $500 million worldwide. Lego Batman, like its predecessor, cost $80 million to make. They're all set...

In 19th place is Moana, even though the Blu-ray has been out for a couple of weeks. It's up to $248 million here, I wonder if Disney will fudge some numbers and get it past two-five-oh. Sometimes, they'd do that by double-billing the movies with their then-newest releases. For example, by the time Tangled was out on all home media formats, it was at $198 million domestically. Disney kept it in theaters all throughout April, and when Pirates of the Caribbean's fourth entry came out in May of that year (2011), some double-feature screenings had Tangled. Tangled finally crawled past the $200 million mark, the first time a Disney animated film had done that since The Lion King.

So maybe Disney may do just this for Moana when Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 comes out in May. Or maybe, coincidentally, Pirates of the Caribbean cinque.

Worldwide is another story. The picture is finally out in Japan, and the opening gross was around $5 million. Some are questioning this, but Zootopia had opened with $3 million, so it all depends on the legs. Things play out differently in Japan than they do here. Moana's next target is Big Hero 6, which finished up with $657 million worldwide. It may or may not beat it, I think it has something of a shot at doing it. If it does, then it'll the third biggest Lasseter-era Disney animated feature.

Sing is right below Moana on the domestic weekend chart. $269 million here, $589 million everywhere. Should be wrapping up its run soon.

In 24th place is Rock Dog. Losing roughly 900 screens this past weekend, the film 75%. $10 million looks like the final total here, and that's around the same amount it made overseas. Lionsgate will probably yank more screens next weekend when their Power Rangers hits. A big flop, sadly.

Trolls still rolls in 69 theaters, but there has been no dramatic change with the numbers. No matter, Comcast is clearly pleased with the results, if Trolls 2's release date didn't already confirm that.

In limited release, the Swiss-French frontrunner My Life as a Zucchini has made $219k. The Red Turtle has made $788k. For some reason, the 2004 Danish CG flick Terkel in Trouble is still playing! Running in 12 theaters last month, it's now playing in 2, and the thing has made $104k to date. This is way more than what its first two (!) American releases took in, combined. Those American releases occurred in 2010, six years after the film came out in its country of origin.

Strange, strange, strange...

Weekend Box Office: 'Lego Batman' Hovers, 'Rock Dog' Flops

One animated film did well, another did not.

The Lego Batman Movie slipped down to #2 and dipped 41%, showing that at this rate, it probably won't have The Lego Movie's legs. That's fine, for it still has already made nearly 3x its budget. The Lego Batman Movie now sits at $133 million domestically and $226 million worldwide. Some places around the globe haven't gotten it yet. Australia, where most of the movie was made, hasn't even gotten it yet. China's getting it soon, along with Japan.

Down in 11th place is Rock Dog, opening with a paltry $3 million. This comes as no surprise, because Lionsgate doesn't put any marketing oomph into pretty much every animated film they release. Reviews suggest that this Chinese animated picture is a cut above the likes of The Wild Life and Norm of the North, but they did little for it. The film also sadly flopped in its own country due to a complicated problem concerning the theater chains over there. Perhaps this one will find a new life.

Moana eased 21% and fell to fifth place, with the physical media (meaning, Blu-ray and DVD) release right around the corner. To date, the picture has made $246 million stateside and $580 million worldwide. Six-oh-oh, here we come!

Sing fell to #21, stabilized and sunk 37%. It's up to $267 million here, and $550 million everywhere.

The Red Turtle saw a little expansion because of the Oscars, domestically the pic has only made $595k. Unfortunate, but expected for a film like this. It's playing in no more than 115 theaters.

Monster Trucks still exists. Down to #35, slipped 45%, $32 million here and $61 million everywhere.

GK finally released the nominated Swiss-French stop-motion film My Life as a Zucchini here. Playing in 2 theaters, it collected $28k.

Trolls' gross hasn't been updated since the 23rd. Apparently it's still showing somewhere, despite being on all the formats. What's the verdict on this one, DreamWorks bean counters?

Batman Succeeds: 'Lego Batman' Wins the Weekend Again

No shock, really.

The Lego Batman Movie wasn't facing any tentpole-esque competition this week. Not even the big budget epic The Great Wall, which might make its money back because of the Chinese and overseas grosses. Universal pretty much dumped that one here, so the mini figures had the weekend all to themselves.

Falling a good 35%, The Lego Batman Movie collected $20 million and is sitting at $98 million domestically. Not as strong as The Lego Movie's second weekend drop, but it doesn't matter. The thing is doing damn fine for a spin-off. Worldwide, it is currently at $170 million, more than double the budget. We're off to a good start!

Moana surged a few spaces ahead, going from 17 to 13, and rising 37%. No theater expansion or special promotion or anything, it just... Jumped a bit. There's still some oil in this tank. $244 million domestically, $573 million. Japan will do the rest in a matter of weeks.

What's impressive is the weekend performance puts it ahead of Sing, a leggy smash that opened nearly a month after it. Sing tumbled 58%. $266 million here, it should top out between $270-275 million here, making it Illumination's second biggest non-Despicable Me film behind The Secret Life of Pets. Worldwide, the film is up to $528 million. China just got the film, Russia and Japan get it next. Let's see how high it goes from here...

Monster Trucks is down 70%, not much has changed. $60 million worldwide. No update on Trolls, whether it has ended its run or not. I wonder how the home media sales are...

UPDATE: Four-days are in...

The only major change here is The Lego Batman Movie, which looks to make $107 million by the end of today. Worldwide, this puts its a few clicks higher, $179 million.

Brickbuster: 'Lego Batman' Wins the Weekend Box Office

The bricks sold the tickets...

Projections for The Lego Batman Movie were all over the map, some suggested it could open as high as $85 million. It didn't quite do that, in fact it made around the same amount I thought it would make all along. $53 million, not too bad!

The Lego Batman Movie cost a bit more than its surprisingly lower budget predecessor, but it's no matter. By weekend deux, it'll probably make it all back. Worldwide, the film sits at $90 million. A handful of countries, including China, Australia (where it was made, no less!), and Japan, haven't gotten it yet. It's sure to do fine in those territories.

What's more impressive is that it staved off Fifty Shades Darker. That film was #1 on Friday, but because Fifty Shades is one of those frontloaded films that a base audience flocks to on the first day of release, it slipped, letting Lego Batman take the trophy home. Since the first movie was sort of a one-and-done thing, Fifty Shades Darker unsurprisingly opened with nearly half of the first movie's opening weekend take.

Sing took a tumble, land right outside of the Top 10. Dropping 59%, the film is now at $265 million here and $501 million everywhere. Perhaps the sky is $275 million domestically (making it their biggest non-sequel yet), and $570 million worldwide, if it breaks out in France and Japan.

At #17 is Moana, up to $243 million stateside and $565 million worldwide. Japan is getting it soon, $600 million worldwide is pretty much a given at this point.

Monster Trucks is a goner. Dropped 70%, is at $32 million here and $58 million everywhere. Perhaps the film can find a following on TV/video, it's supposedly not all that bad. I saw bits and pieces of it, wasn't terrible or anything.

Trolls is on Blu-ray, but was still playing in some areas. It's pretty much done now. Looks like the final worldwide tally will be $339-340 million.

Weekend Box Office Report: Steady Drops

The calm before the storm... The Lego Batman Movie - currently garnering rave reviews - is out in a matter of days...

Sing still sits in the Top 10, staying at #7. It dipped 36%, made $4 million, and now sits at $262 million. Worldwide, it has jumped up to $487 million. France and the UK recently got it, China, Russia, and Japan are next. I expect it to do very well in the first two of those three territories.

Good ol' Monster Trucks slipped 49%, $31 million here, $57 million everywhere. Like I said on another post, I expected it to do way worse. The more I think about it, the more I think it should've been like Paramount's own Super 8. A town-set monster flick made for roughly $50 million, why in the world did Monster Trucks have to cost $75 million *more* than that? Oh right, something about confidence in it possibly kickstarting a Transformers/Ninja Turtles-esque franchise.

Despite losing over 1,000 screens, Moana eased 46%. $242 million here, $554 million worldwide. Still hanging in there, looks like it'll settle for a sub-$255 million domestic gross. $600 million worldwide is in sight!

No update on Trolls' gross. With the Blu-ray out tomorrow, I reckon its run will end pretty soon. There wouldn't be any major change anyways. We still await the verdict from DreamWorks on whether it was a success or a loss...

Weekend Box Office: 'Moana' Sing-Along Does Well, 'Sing' Stays

Sing remains a force to be reckoned with...

At work today, both screenings of it were PACKED. Like the first two Despicable Me films and The Secret Life of Pets, the legs for the thing are ridiculous...

Slipping a wee bit, the picture fell 31% and made $6 million for the weekend. It's now at $257 million domestically and $463 million worldwide. Sing 2 is probably going to make double that amount four years from now.

Monster Trucks continues to hold on well, though the drop was a bit harder than Sing's. It sits at $28 million here and $47 million everywhere, it probably could've done much worse.

Moana's limited Sing-Along re-release didn't quite send the picture to the top of the wave, but it did give it a nice little drop of 10%. Moana has collected $240 million to date, closing in on $250 million domestically. Worldwide, it continues to grow, as it now sits at $530 million. I think Japan's going to rocket this one into the six-oh-oh territory.

No major change or jump for Trolls, the movie is on its last leg.

In a couple weeks, The Lego Batman Movie should shake up the snowglobe.

Weekend Box Office: 'Sing' Still Carrying a Tune

Hey look, a January weekend that wasn't all that dry!

On the live-action end, M. Night Shyamalan's newest posted a great $40 million opening, putting it up there in the top January openings. Makes up for the relatively shoddy last few weeks. (Though Hidden Figures' success is quite something!)

Anyways, onto the real news... Sing is still in the Top 5, now at #4. It collected $9 million this weekend, down 36%. Grossing $249 million domestically to date, it's a few days away from surpassing the domestic gross of the first Despicable Me. Worldwide, it is now at $427 million. This one should be at over $500 million when all is said and done, I think.

Monster Trucks is somewhat beating the snark and bad buzz, for it held on quite well. Dipping 36% and collecting $7 million, it now sits at $22 million here and $41 million everywhere. It's still a crushing flop, but the decent-sized drop (and the fact that it's still getting good-sized crowds at my theater) tells me that audiences are kinda digging it. Perhaps Paramount should've had a wee bit more faith in this one?

Moana didn't move, staying in 12th place. Falling a solid 41%, it took in $2 million for the weekend, and is now at $236 million domestically. Should still reach $250 million at the end of the line, worldwide it has finally cracked five-oh-oh, now sitting at $509 million. If it's a breakout hit in Japan, $600 million is doable.

No major changes for Trolls: $152 million domestically and $337 million worldwide.

Weekend Box Office Report: Paramount Finally Rips Band-Aid, Others Hold Well

In an alternate universe, maybe Paramount's misguided mishap would've been the next Avatar...

Anyways, we all saw it coming. Monster Trucks' tires deflated. Opening at #7, behind several holdovers, the film took in $10 million for the three-day. It's also doing nothing in the few territories it's out in. With a 3x multiplier, the thing won't make more than $30 million, so yes. Big loss, but again, we knew it was going to happen. Paramount knew it back in August, the spillover from the previous guard is finally here and off their chests. Cult favorite in a few years? Or something that'll be locked in the bad box?

Paramount Animation will be fine. A few days ago, it seemed like a few heads were optimistic about their more animated future. By that, I mean we'll be seeing more caricature animation films from them, less live-action movies with hyper-real VFX elements.

Sing still crows, dropping a great 33% and reeling in $18 million for the weekend. At this point, somewhere between $250-270 million seems to be the sky. The picture's now at $397 million worldwide, still has to open in some key markets, as noted before. How long before Universal and Illumination officially ink Sing 2's 2019 release date?

Moana is now out of the Top 10, but it's still hanging ten. (My theater lost it this weekend.) It fell 38%, the gross to date is $231 million domestically. Worldwide, it's now at cruising its way towards $500 million, as it's now at $482 million. Finally past the 3x mark, Disney must be happy. Does it break out in Japan? Could it get to $600 million? We shall see...

Trolls is still around, dropping 12% and making 385k. $151 million domestically, $338 million worldwide. Still waiting on the verdict from DreamWorks themselves, whether this thing's a profit-maker or not.

Storks officially ended its run this past Thursday. $72 million here, $182 million worldwide. Non c'è male!

What are saying for The Lego Batman Movie's opening numbers?

UPDATE: MLK weekend totals...

Four-days are in...

Monster Trucks has made $15 million now, an $29 million worldwide.

Sing is now up to $238 million domestically, and $402 million worldwide.

Moana is still at $233 million, as it's pretty late into its run. $484 million worldwide.

Trolls stayed the same.

Weekend Box Office Report: Everyone Slips

Well, now that the holiday season has pretty much ended, things took dips...

Sing still leads the pack, sitting at #3. Falling 54%, it collected $19 million and the film sits at $213 million domestically. Is a $300 million final gross in play for this thing? I wouldn't be shocked if it got that high, as it is yet another leggy Illumination monster. Worldwide, it's at $356 million. It has yet to open in the UK, China, Russia, Japan, and ironically the country it was produced in... France. The film has already made over 4 1/2x its budget.

Moana had a milder dip, easing 41% and collecting $6 million for the weekend. The film is now at $225 million domestically, keeping Walt Disney Animation Studios' winning streak going, and passing the studio's Big Hero 6. If the film keeps it up, we could be looking at a $250 million domestic haul. Still yet to open in some key territories, Moana is up to $450 million worldwide. That's very good for now, as that is exactly 3x the picture's budget. I see some sites are writing Moana off as an underperformer. It is anything but... Not every animated feature is destined to magically pull Frozen/Zootopia/Inside Out/Secret Life of Pets numbers out of a hat. It's just the way it goes. Besides, the movie has already made 4x its opening weekend gross... Underperformance alright.

Down 35% this weekend was Trolls, still shining. It's now in the sub-500k zone, taking in 430k for the weekend. The picture looks to stop somewhere below $155 million domestically, and worldwide it's pretty much done. $340 million or below for the final global tally. That would be 2.7x the budget. DreamWorks seemed happy with Home, which made 2.9x the budget. Penguins of Madagascar made 2.8x its budget, but they deemed that a flop. I'm not sure what the verdict will be for Trolls, but I think all's well because of Trolls' very good domestic performance (something Home had, but Penguins didn't) and the consumer product sales I think were strong. I haven't seen so much merchandise for a DreamWorks movie in years.

Storks is surprisingly still playing in some theaters out there, but nothing has really changed: $72 million domestic / $180 million worldwide.

I'll of course cover Monster Trucks, as that is a Paramount Animation-branded flick and I'm curious to see how it does despite the fact that the distributor took a huge writedown on the picture many months ago. $115 million to be exact. The real box office fun will begin again with The Lego Batman Movie next month...

New Year Box Office Bash: 'Sing' Sings Loud, 'Moana' Rides the Wave

Illumination's newest, big shock, is an unstoppable beast.

Sing had excellent three and four-day grosses. The four-day on this one was a fantastic $56 million, up 60%. The picture now stands at $180 million domestically and $277 million worldwide. Already 3 1/2x the $75 million budget, the usual for Illumination's films. Just you watch, in a few weeks, that untitled Illumination film set for summer 2019? That's probably going to be Sing 2.

Moana was no slouch, either. Moving from #6 to #4 on the charts, rising while other new competitors fell, it took in $14 million for the 4-day. That's up 85%, and the film has made $213 million stateside. It's a few millions away from passing the studio's own Big Hero 6, the original 1992 gross Aladdin collected, and should be past Team Emeryville's Brave ($237 million) in a couple of weeks. We saw an uptick in the foreign box office too, for Moana is now at $402 million worldwide.

While not Frozen 2.0 at the box office, it is doing very respectable business. To be disappointed, I think, is silly. Frozen's success was a once-in-a-blue-moon all-the-planets-align kind of thing, Moana looks to at least outgross Tangled at the worldwide box office once it hits a few more key markets in the coming months.

Even Trolls jumped up. $900k for the 4-day, up 133%! It has finally crossed $150 million domestically and sits at $332 million worldwide. It's out everywhere, so there are no more markets for it to open in. The current gross is still only 2.6x the budget, not sure what DreamWorks wants. Are they okay with 2 1/2x the $125 million cost? Or do they expect it to make around 3x the budget? Or is the merchandise doing the rest of the work?

There haven't been any updates on Storks since December 22nd, so I'll safely assume it ended its run. $72 million domestically, $179 million worldwide. Not bad for a film that got slipshod marketing, as it only cost $70 million to make. Warner Bros. ought to be happy with how it did.

Carrying a Tune: 'Sing' Opens Well

Now that the Christmas week and weekend are over, what are the results?

Illumination's Sing lead the animated pack, which isn't surprising given that it's the new film from the reliably hit-making Despicable Me creators. That being said, the opening wasn't as spectacular as I thought it would be. It's still very good, because Illumination is smart with budgets. For those who don't know, they send the work to a French studio they own called Mac Guff. This is why their animated films cost less than $80 million to make.

Sing also debuted at #2, because of a strong hold-over for Rogue One. It pulled in $35 million for the three-day, and $55 million for the five-day. With Monday estimates already in, the film is currently at $76 million. Worldwide? $93 million. Key markets like the UK and Japan haven't gotten the film yet, it doesn't open in the country it was made in until next month. Russia and Japan have to wait until March. I'm sure it'll do fine over in those territories. Look for a leggy run with this one...

With a bevy of new releases, Moana slipped from second place to sixth. Only dropping 41%, the weekend total was $7 million, bringing the picture up to $180 million domestically. Monday estimates take it to $183 million. Worldwide, it's at $327 million. Like Sing, it has yet to open in a few major markets as well. At this point in its run back in 2010, Tangled was at $146 million. This means $237 million might be the ceiling for Moana, which is pretty darn good. That would be a stellar 4.3x the three-day opening weekend gross, 2.8x the five-day. Tangled made 4.1x its three-day, and 2.9x its five-day. If Moana performs more like that, then we'll be looking at a possible $240 million+ gross.

Trolls lost over 1,000 theaters and dipped 71% for the three-day, with a $390k take, $575k for the four-day. Worldwide, it is at $329 million. The picture looks to finish somewhere below $155 million in North America, a solid number that puts it between Kung Fu Panda 3 ($141 million) and Home ($177 million). Here's hoping the last two Fox-DreamWorks pictures do well.

No numbers for Storks just yet...

To be updated...

Staying Afloat: 'Moana' Holds on Well in the Face of 'Rogue One'

Moana has some serious staying power!

Not even the new Star Wars event could stop it dead in its tracks, or make it drop more than 45%.

Moana dipped an excellent 31%, making $12 million for the weekend and collecting $162 million domestically overall. Still not out everywhere around the world, the worldwide total is $282 million.

Four weeks into its run, Tangled was at $127 million, while Frozen was at $192 million. If it keeps following former's path, the finish will be $235 million domestically... But who knows, will it surge in the coming weeks? Or stay the course? Christmas week gave these two big bumps, I assume the same will happen to this film. I think it still has a shot at $250 million domestic.

Trolls wasn't as lucky, but all is fine for now considering that the film topped $140 million last weekend. Falling 54%, the glittery colorful flick is now at $147 million domestically and $323 million worldwide. So far it has made 2 1/2x its budget, and I'm not sure if DreamWorks wants more than that.

Remember, Penguins of Madagascar made 2.8x its budget and the studio considered that a loss... But they didn't consider Home, which made 2.9x its budget, a flop. Perhaps that's because Home fared far better here than Penguins. The Madagascar spin-off missed $100 million in the states, whereas Home made $177 million. I think that a lot to do with it. With an amount not much less than that, Trolls could be fine. Again, we'll have to wait and see.

Storks still flies a bit, but hasn't inched past $71 million domestically yet. Worldwide it saw an itsy boost, it is up to $179 million.

A re-issue of The Polar Express got onto the charts with a tiny $67k.

The Secret Life of Pets is pretty much done, yet still rolling in some houses. Same numbers as last weekend: $368m domestic / $875m worldwide.

Atop the Wave: 'Moana' Stays at #1

In its last weekend with little competition, Moana was victorious.

Narrowly edging out newcomer comedy Office Christmas Party, Moana grossed a great $18 million, down a strong 34%. A little less than Tangled's drop during that frame, and much less than Frozen's, Moana could still make 4x the three-day and cross $220 million domestically. I have a feeling Moana will hold on well against Rogue One and Sing, but will it hit two-five-oh domestically?

We shall see.

Worldwide, now that it's out in a couple more territories, it's at $240 million.

Trolls lingers in the top ten, more than a month after its debut. With a small 35% drop, it took in $3 million for the weekend, and it's now at $145 million here. Worldwide, it has made $317 million. More than 2 1/2x the $125 million budget. Let's hope it goes even higher from here, because if it falls short of what DreamWorks/Uni want, I fear it could lead to even more layoffs. We don't need that, and it's why I don't want The Boss Baby and Captain Underpants to go belly-up.

Storks still plays in over 200 theaters, but it's pretty much running on a low amount of fuel. $72 million looks to be the final total here, and $177 million everywhere. The only market it's relatively new to is South Korea, but I doubt they propel it far past $180 million. Still, $177 million on a $70 million budget is A-OK. Perfectly shows that you have to be budget-conscious sometimes, because your animated movie can't just easily pull $200-250 million worldwide grosses out of a hat.

The Secret Life of Pets still barks a bit, but nothing much has changed: $368 million stateside, $875 million worldwide. Wonder if Sing comes anywhere close...

Finding Dory ended its run on the 8th. $486 million domestically, as said before the biggest for an animated film in North America, topping the record held for 12 years by Shrek 2. Worldwide is a different story. It barely eked past Zootopia, made a stellar $1,027 million, but didn't quite flood Frozen.

Now we shall see how Moana does on the battlefield next weekend...

Battling a Seastorm: 'Moana' To Hold On Well

This is the weekend where most of the big movies take a real tumble.

Moana, like the other recent November/holiday season Disney Animation films before it, was always going to drop over 50% this weekend. Let's look at the historical examples...

Tangled scored $68 million for its five-day Thanksgiving debut back in 2010, $48 million for the three-day. The second weekend gross was a 55% drop from the three-day. For Frozen, it was 53%. Both very solid, when things could've been worse. Live-action blockbusters usually get hit harder this weekend, with 60%+ drops.

Wreck-It Ralph and Big Hero 6, by contrast, opened at the beginning of November in their respective years. They tumbled 58% and 57% on their first post-Thanksgiving five-days, respectively.

Moana's numbers yesterday suggest that it will also dip lightly, and brave the oncoming wave. I always wondered why the first post-Thanksgiving weekend 3-day is the big drop off... Perhaps audiences shifting to holiday shopping and getting ready for the festivities? Or is it because of Thanksgiving break ending, and that taking away from the weekend?

Apparently it's on track for a $30 million+ weekend, a magnificent 47% drop... Frozen made $31 million on its second weekend... The legs are going to be quite strong for this one. Makes me wonder if it'll go a little above the amount I originally thought it would make in the end. At the end of the weekend, Moana should be well past $120 million. At that point in time, Frozen was up to $134 million.

Trolls looks to ease as well, projections say a roughly 54% dip is in play, putting the film above Kung Fu Panda 3's domestic gross from earlier this year. Both are doing fine in the top ten while blockbusters and smaller pics come and go.

Update...

Dropping an estimated 49.9% (!!!), Moana has collected $28 million for the weekend. It is now up to $119 million here, and it opened in a few key territories this weekend, so the worldwide gross is up to $177 million. Like most November-release Disney animated films, it'll be a slow crawl because many markets don't get this picture until the end of the first quarter of next year.

Trolls dropped 56%, made $4 million, it's up to $141 million here and $296 million everywhere. Really seems to be stalling overseas for some reason.

The Secret Life of Pets still lingers, with $368 million domestically and $874 million worldwide. Walt Disney Animation Studios won't be the only big studio having a banner year, because Sing is poised to do very, very well.

No word on the storks just yet...

To be updated...

Weekend Lookout: 'Moana' Makes Big Waves

To the shock of no one, Walt Disney Animation Studios' new, big, epic musical about a princess that happens to star The Rock is going to come in like a tidal wave...

Collecting $15.6 million yesterday, it's almost on par with Frozen's opening Wednesday - $15.1 million. Frozen went on to score the biggest 5-day Thanksgiving week gross: $93 million. If Moana follows a similar trajectory, it could very well top Frozen. This means it could make roughly $65-70 million for the three-day alone. It's all set, and will be locked and loaded when Rogue One rolls in next month.

In the long run, I don't think it'll pull a Frozen. Frozen was one of those leggy phenomenons that came in out of nowhere, had little-to-no major competition (Walking with Dinosaurs? Hobbit 2? Zzzz?), and impressed. Moana is sure to be very leggy in its own way, but I'm not quite sure if it'll make it to $400 million domestically. Ahead are some prime hits, like Disney's own Rogue One, Illumination's Sing, and maybe something else. I'm ready to be wrong on this one, though. One thing's for certain, I think... It'll breeze past the big three-oh-oh.

It's great to see directors Ron Clements and John Musker score a huge hit again. Their last three pictures either flopped or underperformed.

Sadly, I probably won't be seeing the film until next Friday due to plans and such. So far, the reception is outstanding and I've heard nothing but great things about it.

This situation will be the opposite of what happened in 2002. That year, Walt Disney Feature Animation readied two films: Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois' weirdo sci-fi family drama Lilo & Stitch, and Ron Clements and John Musker's sci-fi quasi-steampunk retrofuturistic adventure Treasure Planet. While Lilo hit big, Treasure Planet crashed and burned. A shame, because Treasure Planet - in my opinion - is a pretty good film.

In a way, this year is a teensy bit similar. We have one Ron & John movie in the autumn/holiday season, while the more experimental flick came out first - Zootopia. Zootopia cleared $1 billion, Moana could do it if it has the oomph worldwide. Imagine that! Disney Animation releasing two films in the same calendar year for the very first time in 14 years... And getting monstrously good results.

Give it time, I think we'll be hearing about what the duo are going to tackle next. The reason Moana arrived 7 years after their previous film is because it wasn't going to be their next. After the release of The Princess and the Frog, Ron and John wanted to adapt one of Terry Pratchett's Discworld stories - Mort. It had a lot of promise, but by late 2010, Disney couldn't quite secure the rights. Ron and John then pitched three ideas to John Lasseter, Lasseter okayed the Oceanic adventure...

Thanksgiving Gross Update...

Moana did quite well on Thanksgiving, though it fell a bit behind Frozen. Suffice to say, it still can make more than $85 million for the five-day...

I got to see footage of it today. Remember how I said I won't be able to see the full movie until next Friday at the earliest? Well, I'm currently down in Walt Disney World, and I checked out the roughly 15-minute preview at Disney Hollywood Studios. This alone got me more excited for the film than any of the trailers or TV spots, but it's no surprise, for marketing isn't made to get people like interested. It's worked so far, so can't complain there. Just a personal sidenote.

The wait - because life gets in the way sometimes - to see this one is going to be a little bit of a bummer, but I'm going to try my dardnest to see it as soon as possible!

Friday gross...

$21 million, a good $5 million behind Frozen. Not bad, not bad. The five-day should now be in the low 80s... Still #2, topping Toy Story 2. Three-day weekend gross should be in the high 50s...

The three-day...

$55 million estimated. $12 million less than Frozen, $20 million below Zootopia, just a million less than Big Hero 6. Very solid opening... Where could it land? Well, let's look at Tangled's multiplier. $200 million off of a $68 million five-day, that's 2.9x. If Moana does that, $234 million in the bag. If it plays like Toy Story 2 did back in 1999, we get $248 million. Cool, cool.

Worst case scenario, I think, would be Good Dinosaur legs. If it plays out like that Pixar film, which is doubtful at this point, it would still pocket a fine $181 million domestically. I've seen some here and there worry that Moana isn't cutting it. No worries, it's doing quite fine!

Since parts of the world aren't getting Moana for a little while, it's only at $16 million overseas. Like most fall Disney Animation and Pixar releases, the international roll-out will be staggered. Poor Japan, as usual, has to wait til March to get it. I'm so sorry for reminding you of this...

Elsewhere in animation land...

Trolls eased, thankfully. Down 40%, now at $135 million domestically and $291 million worldwide. It's little by little climbing. No numbers for Storks yet, as that's pretty much on its way out.

Actuals

Moana actually made a little bit more than Big Hero 6 for the three-day. $56.6 million, barely eked by $82 million for the five-day. Great launch! Make Trolls' 40% dip 39%. $291 million worldwide, c'mon pick up some steam!

The Secret Life of Pets and Storks are pretty much on their last few legs, the latter looks to make around $180 million worldwide when all is said and done. The former inches up on $875 million worldwide.

Weekend Box Office Report: Small Stumbles

With Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them expectedly topping the chart, a few movies have seen some pretty good-sized drops.

Trolls is currently in third place, and it's a smidgen behind Doctor Strange. Both movies dropped over 50% this weekend, the Marvel sorcerer seeing an unsurprisingly harsher drop. Trolls collected $17 million (estimate) for the weekend, and is at $116 million here in the states. Overseas numbers are a little sluggish right now, as the picture's still below $300 million worldwide. Next weekend, I think, will also be something of a test for Trolls. It could either hold up quite nicely against Moana, or get hit a little hard.

Even films outside the Marvel and DreamWorks wheelhouses dropped pretty hard this week, so all-around it's just an okay week for holdovers. I expect Fantastic Beasts to see a bit of dipping next week, as Moana is sure to be open big.

Storks fell off 60%, it has crept to $71 million here and $175 million worldwide. This is the final set of laps, methinks. I wonder how much higher it'll go overseas. It has officially made 2 1/2x its budget. I hope Warner Bros. is happy with it. Kubo and the Two Strings is pretty much done, I doubt it'll make much in the two markets that haven't gotten it yet: Poland and Bulgaria. $47 million domestically and $69-71 million worldwide it is.

Finding Dory is still juicing in some small venues, total is pretty much the same here. $1,026 million worldwide, still a few clicks above Zootopia. It's the year's biggest animated film. The Blu-ray cover for the film states that it's the biggest, too... But only at the domestic box office. The covers for these things are made and printed looooong before they hit stores, so I guess at the time, Disney bean counters weren't sure if the fishies would overtake the animals. In a way, that's quite exciting.

See, I thought the Pixar sequel to the beloved hit from 13 years ago would've easily been this year's animated champion. While Finding Dory is the champion, it literally eked by Zootopia to claim the trophy. No, Disney Animation's little animal movie was the little animated movie that could. Projections said it would do good but no exceptionally, it did more than just that. Reminds me of how Disney wasn't so sure about an animal picture some 22 years ago. It just proves that old William Goldman quote... "Nobody knows anything... Not one person in the entire motion picture field knows for a certainty what's going to work."

Some thought Trolls would open with a meager $25-30 million and finish up with $90 million at best, that's clearly not the case, three weeks in.

Anyways, prime time will truly be in full swing by next weekend.

Weekend Report: 'Trolls' Barely Slips

In the midst of all the recent DreamWorks happenings, it looks like the studio's latest is going to have some very strong legs...

Updated Sunday November 13th, original article follows...

Trolls opened with a very solid $46 million last weekend, and this weekend it might gross around the same amount if all goes well. The Friday estimates are in, and it's $12.2 million. Trolls' opening day gross was $12.3 million...

Is this film going to pull a Puss in Boots?

Puss in Boots was released by DreamWorks some five years ago. It had an unusually low opening, and this was before the days of Rise of the Guardians and Turbo. $34 million it was, it seemed like audiences weren't quite into this one... But then something happened. Weekend two came, it took in $33 million, just 3% down from opening weekend! Puss in Boots ended up making 4.38x its opening weekend gross.

Not dissimilar is Disney Animation's Bolt. Opened with a paltry $26.2 million, the second weekend gross was $26.5 million. It went up 1%! Films mostly drop on second weekend, Bolt was a rare exception that went up. Bolt also ended up making 4.38x its opening weekend gross.

So does Trolls repeat that? Or do things go a little differently today and on Sunday? Box Office Mojo is thinking it makes $34 million this weekend, BoxOffice thinks so as well. That is still super-fine. That would be a great 27% drop, landing the film at $92 million domestically. If it makes $46 million, then $104 million. It's doing quite well already.

I saw parts of the film at work, and I was honestly pretty impressed. I can also see why audiences are flocking to this one, especially in times like these. I expect it to hang on tightly, and co-exist with Moana next month.

Update...

Trolls didn't quite perform like the feline, but it slipped just a little. A strong 24%, with a fantastic $34 million, and a $93 million finish. It's only a few steps behind the #1 film, too, Marvel's Doctor Strange. Worldwide, Trolls is now at $223 million. In a few weeks, it's already set to leave Turbo and Mr. Peabody & Sherman in the dust. The only countries it hasn't opened in yet are Austria and Australia. They get it at the beginning of next month.

Storks (#17) is now entering its last set of laps, the film looks to top off at roughly $73 million when all is said and done, it's at $173 million worldwide, nearly 2 1/2x the budget. The Secret Life of Pets (#21) crossed $367 million stateside, $872 million worldwide. Finding Dory (#30) showed no major change - $486m domestically and $1,024m worldwide. Kubo and the Two Strings (#35) saw no change, either. $47 million here and $69 million all around the globe.

The animation domination looks to continue, what with Trolls holding up well and Moana around the corner, followed by the sure-to-be-big Sing.