It has been a while but Marvel/Disney is back on top of the box office as Doctor Strange had a very impressive $84.9 million opening weekend. This is the 10th largest opening for a Marvel movie finishing just behind the $85.7 million opening of 2013’s Thor: The Dark World reports Box Office Mojo. I predict the film will finish around the $250-$280 million domestic range.
Second place went to Trolls, the new animated release with a solid $45.6 opening weekend. Third place went to the Mel Gibson war drama Hacksaw Ridge which brought in $14.8 million. Both films received positive reviews from critics so they should have strong second weekends.
Tyler Perry’s Boo! A Madea Halloween was finally dethroned and dropped to fourth place with $7.8 million and is just under $65 million domestically. Inferno continues to tank as it rounds out the top five with $6.3 million and has grossed only $26 million after 10 days.
The Accountant saw the smallest dropoff from last week (only 30 percent) by bringing in $6 million and passing $70 million domestically after 24 days. Finding Dory has spent 143 days in theaters and has grossed just under $486 million domestically and continues to be 2016’s highest-grossing film.
I predict that Doctor Strange will repeat as box office champion even with three new wide releases coming next week including the sci-fi film Arrival starring Amy Adams.
Weekend Gross by Distributor:
Disney: $85.5 million (n/a)
20th Century Fox: $48.8 million (+41.2 percent)
Lionsgate: $23.9 million (+3.7 percent)
Universal: $7.6 million (-5.7 percent)
Warner Bros.: $7.5 million (-4.7 percent)
Sony Pictures: $6.7 million (-9.6 percent)
Paramount Pictures: $5.6 million (-4 percent)
Next week’s openings: Almost Christmas, Arrival, Shut In