Aquaman holds the high ground with second #1 weekend at box office
Warner Bros.’ Aquaman held onto the #1 spot at the domestic box office, dipping just 24% and adding another $51.5 million to its domestic haul. The film now sits at $188 million domestically, and is within striking distance of becoming WB’s highest grossing release of the year (currently A Star is Born with $200 million). Internationally the film added another $85 million to its tally for an international total of $560 million and a worldwide total of $748 million, besting previous DCEU entries Justice League ($657 million), Man of Steel ($668 million), and Suicide Squad ($746 million). Sitting ahead of the film is just Wonder Woman with $821.8 million and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice with $873.6 million. Directed by James Wan, Aquaman stars Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Oscar winner Nicole Kidman.
Walt Disney Studios’ Mary Poppins Returns maintained its second place position, bringing in $28 million, a 19% increase from last weekend. The sequel now sits at $98.9 million domestically. Internationally the film added another $28.9 million to its tally for a total of $74.4 million, giving the film a global total of $173.3 million. Though the film had a soft opening, comparable to Disney’s The Nutcracker and the Four Realms ($20.35 million) and just behind Disney’s Christopher Robin ($24.585 million), the sequel is on its way to out grossing both of those by a significant margin.The cast of Mary Poppins Returns includes Emily Blunt, Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer and Julie Walters, with Colin Firth and Meryl Streep. Dick Van Dyke also returns for the film, directed by Rob Marshall.
Paramount’s Bumblebee held onto third place, dipping just 5% and bringing in $20.5 million and giving it a domestic total of $66 million. Internationally, Bumblebee added another $45.7 million to its international total which is now $90 million. Globally the Transformers solo film has brought in $156 million. Directed by Travis Knight, the film stars Hailee Steinfeld and John Cena, with the voices of Dylan O’Brien, Peter Cullen, Angela Bassett, and Justin Theroux.
Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Animation’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse held onto fourth place, adding another $18.315 million to its total and bringing its domestic haul to $103.64 million. Internationally the film took in $27.4 million across 60 markets for an international total of $109.6 million and giving it a global total of $233.24 million. Directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman, Spider-Verse features the voices of Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Brian Tyree Henry, Lily Tomlin, Luna Lauren Velez, Zoë Kravitz, John Mulaney, Kimiko Glenn with Nicolas Cage, Kathryn Hahn and Liev Schreiber.
Warner Bros.’ The Mule, the latest directorial and acting effort from Clint Eastwood, brought in $11 million for the weekend. The film now sits at $60.738 million domestically.
Annapurna Pictures Dick Cheney biopic Vice, which opened on Christmas day, brought in $7.79 million for the weekend, landing it in sixth place. The film now sits at $17.697 million domestically. Directed by Adam McKay, the film’s ensemble cast includes Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Steve Carrell, Sam Rockwell, Jesse Plemons, Alison Pill, Lily Rabe, Tyler Perry, Justin Kirk, Lisagay Hamilton, Shea Whigham, and Eddie Marsan.
Columbia Pictures’ Holmes & Watson, which also opened December 25, brought in $7.3 million on the traditional three day weekend, but now sits at $19.7 million after six days. Written and directed by Etan Cohen, the film is produced by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Jimmy Miller and Clayton Townsend. Chris Henchy, Jessica Elbaum and M. Riley serve as executive producers. The film stars Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Rebecca Hall, Rob Brydon, Kelly Macdonald and Ralph Fiennes.
STX Films’ Second Act fell to eighth place but managed an 11% increase, bringing in $7.2 million. Total the film now sits at $21.76 million domestically with $6.6 million from international markets, giving it a $28.3 million worldwide gross. Directed by Peter Segal, the rom-com stars Jennifer Lopez, Vanessa Hudgens, Leah Remini, and Milo Ventimiglia.
