This week brought news thatIthas crept past the half-a-billion marker at the worldwide box office, currently holding over $505 million and still going strong. At the foreign box office, theStephen Kingadaptation has proven to be just as big a hit as it has been stateside, solidifying the long-held belief that little is more appealing to human beings than scary alien-monster clowns who torment and murder children for fun and sustenance.
It remains a big hit at home too. After having its crown snatched away last weekend byKingsman: The Golden Circle, It has now usurped that abysmal sequel to arrive in second place at the Friday box office, bringing in some $4.9 million againsThe Golden Circle’s third-place earnings of $4.8 million. Either could end up taking the second spot by weekend’s end – $80,000 separates them right now – but its worth highlighting that this signals a 68% drop forKingsmansince last Friday. This isn’t exactly strange, as It dropped some 62% in its second weekend, but after that initial drop, the drop in percentages for It have slowed to keep the movie toward the top. It’s unlikely thatKingsmanwill have such luck, especially withBlade Runner 2049arriving in a week’s time.
Of course, this is all burying the lede.Doug Liman’sAmerican Madewill almost certainly take the weekend in total, currently at the top of the top five with $6 million. It would seem thatTom Cruise’s star power is still potent enough to push Liman’s dark, amiable action-drama to the front, though it’s total was helped by some $960,000 in Thursday previews. Without that,American Madeand It would be nearly head-to-head, but there’s evidence already that Cruise’s remarkable global appeal will help saveAmerican Madein the same way it savedThe Mummy. Liman’s film is actually doing better in the UK right now than it is in the USA, and its numbers in Australia and Spain are similarly impressive. Still, likeKingsman, the fact thatBlade Runner 2049looms should be a major concern for those invested inAmerican Made.
That leavesThe LEGO Ninjago MovieandFlatlinersin fourth and fifth place with $2.7 and $2.1 million respectively. 27 years after the original was released, theFlatlinersremake might not even be able to match the $10 million opening of the original back in 1990. The release ofBlade Runner 2049will also come with the release ofThe Mountain Between UsandMy Little Ponynext weekend, so I wouldn’t expect either of these movies to survive in the top five beyond next Thursday or challenge the top three contenders. The rest of it is still very much a toss-up.
Here’s the top five for Friday:
Friday Domestic BO
Total Domestic BO
1. ‘American Made’
$6,067,000
$4,930,000
$278,802,790
3. ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’
$4,850,000
$54,551,588
4. ‘The LEGO Ninjago Movie’
$2,700,000
$26,256,065
5. ‘Flatliners’
$2,150,000
