Three weeks after being released internationally, “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens” finally opened in China. The Revenant nearly dethroned the all-time domestic champ, but had to settle for a strong second place.
Advertisement
You would really have to be living in an ice cave on Hoth for the Star Wars: The Force Awakens hype train to have passed you by. It has made $46 million in total, which is a far cry from the last two collaborations Director David O. Russell had with Jennifer Lawrence.
The surprising showing is sure to energize the whole “Will Leonardo DiCaprio get an Oscar?” debate, as if that needed any help. Overseas, it grossed $4.6-M from 24 markets for a foreign take of $9.7-M and early global box office take of $52.6-M. The movie is still showing in theaters in North America as well, and still earning top dollar in just about every market it’s being shown in. The Revenant, a gritty R-rated movie directed by Alejandro Inarritu about an 1820s frontiersman who gets mauled by a bear, blasted through expectations of about $US25 million in its first weekend of wide release with a $US38 million haul, following limited showings in NY and Los Angeles in December. The animated/live action hybrid was down 55% from last weekend, with its total gross up to $75.6 million domestically and $111.8 million worldwide.
In other box office news, Daddy’s Home sat pretty at No. 3 with $15 million, as the Will Ferrell/Mark Wahlberg’s Christmas comedy continues to do solid business even with the holidays over.
The film is therefore the third most successful movie in the world to date. January has always been kind to horror films and anytime you can make back your budget in a single weekend, you’re on the right path. Between this and The Revenant, audiences spent a lot of money on films that take place in between the trees. The film should end its domestic run with $85 million to $90 million.
Taking a huge hit was “The Hateful Eight” which fell out of the top five altogether. The two movies could see their positions reversed when Monday’s actual numbers are released. The Forest, $US13.1 million ($US450,000) 5. Both American Hustle and Silver Linings Playbook made over $130 million.
Advertisement
But how did the rest of the movies do at the weekend box office?
