“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” sleighed the muted competition, including Universal’s new holiday thriller “Violent Night,” to remain No. 1 at the box office. Now in its fourth weekend of release, the superhero sequel added $17.6 million from 3,855 theaters, bringing its domestic tally to $393.7 million. It’ll soon be only the third movie this year to cross $400 million in North America.
“Violent Night,” this weekend’s only new nationwide release, couldn’t muster enough Christmas spirit to take down Wakandan warriors. The R-rated action comedy, starring David Harbour as a cranky Saint Nick, landed in second place, ever-so-slightly beating expectations with $13.3 million from 3,682 North American cinemas. Heading into the weekend, the film was projected to open to roughly $10 million.
Internationally, “Violent Night” added $7.05 million from 72 markets, bringing its global total to $20.35 million. That’s a decent start since the movie only cost $20 million to produce.
“This is a solid opening for an action comedy,” says David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. “The film should have room to play for another week and a half before ‘Avatar 2’ takes over.”
Elsewhere at the domestic box office, several Thanksgiving leftovers fended for scraps.
Disney’s animated adventure “Strange World,” which collapsed with its $12 million debut, wasn’t able to rebound. The movie took third place with $4.9 million from 4,174 theaters in its second weekend, a 60% decline from its opening. So far, the family film has earned $25.5 million in North America and $42.3 million globally, a disastrous result. Since it cost roughly $200 million to produce and tens of millions more to market, sources estimate that “Strange World” will lose at least $100 million in its theatrical run.
At the No. 4 spot, “The Menu,” a dark satire from Searchlight Pictures, generated $3.6 million from 2,810 locations. After three weeks in theaters, the film has grossed $24.7 million in North America and $47 million worldwide. It cost $30 million to make.
Sony’s “Devotion,” an inspirational drama starring Jonathan Majors and Glen Powell, rounded out the top five with $2.8 million from 3,405 venues. The movie has grossed just $13.8 million to date, a tragic turnout given its $90 million budget.
More to come…