Boo 2! A Madea Halloween scares up box office win
The Lionsgate sequel Tyler Perry’s Boo 2! A Madea Halloween easily won the domestic box this weekend with an estimated $21.7 million from 2,388 theaters. That’s an average of $9,066 per theater. Made for just $25 million, the comedy received an A- CinemaScore from audiences. Lionsgate isn’t going to lose sleep over it, but Boo 2! A Madea Halloween opened with less than the $28.5 million the original grossed its first weekend a year ago. Again directed, written, produced by and starring Tyler Perry, Boo 2! A Madea Halloween also stars Cassi Davis, Patrice Lovely, Yousef Erakat, Lexy Panterra, Andre Hall, Diamond White, Brock O’Hurn, and Tito Ortiz.
Coming in at second place in North America was disaster film Geostorm (Warner Bros. Pictures), which earned an estimated $13.3 million from 3,246 theaters, an average of $4,097. Marking Dean Devlin’s feature directorial debut, the film comes with the hefty price tag of $120 million. It will have to depend on international markets to make up some of that cost. Geostorm pulled in $36.4 million from 13,000 screens in 50 overseas markets this weekend to push its total there to $49.6 million and worldwide sum to $62.9 million. Receiving a B- CinemaScore, the movie stars Gerard Butler, Jim Sturgess, Abbie Cornish, Alexandra Maria Lara, Daniel Wu, Eugenio Derbez, Amr Waked, Adepero Oduye, Ed Harris, Andy Garcia, Robert Sheehan, and Zazie Beetz.
After winning the box office last week, Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions’ Happy Death Day dropped to third place and 64% in ticket sales with $9.4 million, to take its two-week total to $40.7 million domestically. Internationally, the film is now playing in 26 territories and collected $6.5 million this weekend, for an overseas total of $12.9 million and global take of $53.6 million. Directed by Christopher Landon, Happy Death Day stars Jessica Rothe, Israel Broussard, Ruby Modine, Rachel Matthews, and Charles Aitken. It cost just $4.8 million to make.
In the fourth spot, Blade Runner 2049 (Warner Bros. Pictures) added $7.2 million and has grossed $74 million after three weeks. Internationally, the film has earned $120 million and the worldwide total is up to $194.1 million. Made for $150 million, the film was directed by Denis Villeneuve and stars Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Robin Wright, Mackenzie Davis, Carla Juri, Lennie James, Dave Bautista, and Jared Leto.
Despite great reviews, Sony Pictures’ Only the Brave brought in just $6 million its first weekend in fifth place. The film played in 2,577 theaters an averaged just $2,332. Audiences agreed with the critics on this one, giving it an A CinemaScore, so perhaps it will stick around a while. Directed by Joseph Kosinski, Only the Brave was made for $38 million and stars Josh Brolin, Miles Teller, Jeff Bridges, James Badge Dale, with Taylor Kitsch and Jennifer Connelly.
STXfilms action thriller The Foreigner, directed by Martin Campbell and starring Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan, dropped to sixth and 58.4% in ticket sales with $5.5 million. It has earned $22.8 million domestically after two weeks. The film cost $35 million to make.
In seventh place, New Line Cinema’s IT earned $3.5 million its seventh weekend in theaters and has now grossed $320.2 million in North America. Overseas, the horror hit added $12.8 million and has collected $331.4 million internationally and an impressive $651.6 million globally. Directed by Andrés Muschietti, IT cost $35 million to make and stars Bill Skarsgård as the story’s central villain, Pennywise the clown, as well as Jaeden Lieberher, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Wyatt Oleff, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer and Nicholas Hamilton. The sequel has been set for a September 6, 2019 release.
Opening in eighth place was Universal’s The Snowman, directed by Tomas Alfredson and starring Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Ferguson, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Val Kilmer, and J.K. Simmons. Based on the best-seller, the film debuted with just $3.4 million from 1,812 theaters, an average of $1,900 per theater. It cost $35 million to make.
Also of note was 20th Century Fox’s Kingsman: The Golden Circle, which added $48.7 million from 61 international markets this weekend for an overseas total of $250.3 million. $40.3 million of that came from China. Domestically, the film brought in $3 million and has earned $94.6 million, for a worldwide total of $344.9 million. Made for $104 million, the Matthew Vaughn-directed sequel stars Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Taron Egerton, Mark Strong, Halle Berry, Sir Elton John, Channing Tatum, and Jeff Bridges.