This weekend, many moviegoers seemed to stay home instead of going out to the theaters, as two of the weekend’s four new releases didn’t even make it into the box office’s Top 10, while the poorly advertised Jack Black and Cate Blanchett family film “The House with a Clock in Its Walls” was able to debut in first place with a soft $26.6 million opening weekend.
Despite having a very limited ad campaign (I honestly don’t think I saw a single trailer for this movie) “The House with a Clock in Its Walls” managed to nab the top stop. The movie looks like a clone of 2015’s ‘Goosebumps” another Jack Black family Halloween film, which has a sequel debuting next month. This film is based off a John Bellairs novel and is directed by “Hostel” and “The Green Inferno” creator Eli Roth, marking the best debut of his career. I expect this movie will quickly come and go within the next few weeks, however it may become a sleeper hit as Halloween looms closer.
Jack Black and Cate Blanchett’s family film “The House with a Clock in Its Walls” debuted at the top of this weekend’s box office. Photo courtesy of slashfilm.com
Michael Moore’s documentary “Fahrenheit 11/9” also debuted this past weekend but failed in comparison to Moore’s record breaking and award winning “Fahrenheit 9/11.” “11/9” examines the nation’s current political climate and focuses mostly on President Trump. When “Fahrenheit 9/11” premiered in 2004, it became the first documentary to top the box office, grossing $23.9 million in its first three days. “Fahrenheit 11/9” however, debuted in eighth place and only made $3 million. Are we currently experiencing Trump overkill? With him dominating nearly every news cycle, maybe audiences didn’t want to buy a ticket to watch this documentary when they could put on the news. Maybe we, as a country, are too divided right now for a documentary like “Fahrenheit 11/9.”
“This is Us” creator Dan Fogelman’s “Life Itself” couldn’t even make it into the Top 10. The Olivia Wilde, Oscar Isaac, Annette Benning drama came in at number 11, grossing only $2.1 million. Even worse was “Assassination Nation” the satirical mordern version of the Salem Witch Trials. Despite a sizeable ad campaign (I definitely saw more ads for “Assassination Nation” than “The House with a Clock in Its Walls”), the film only managed to scoop up $1 million and came in at an embarassing 15th place.
Olivia Wilde and Oscar Isaac star in “Life Itself.” Photo courtesy of Slashfilm.com
“Crazy Rich Asians” had the smallest drop of the week, dropping only 25% and making another $6.3 million. The romantic comedy’s haul is now up to $159.2 million domestically, proving it to be an undeniable hit. On the other end of the spectrum, “The Predator” suffered the steepest drop, dropping 62.7%.
“The Nun” crossed the century mark, now having made $100.6 million domestically. “A Simple Favor” came in second place, dropping a respectable 36%. Director Paul Feig announced his next movie, and rather than cast Anna Kendrick or Blake Lively, Feig cast breakout from “Crazy Rich Asians” and “A Simple Favor” Henry Golding in “Last Christmas” opposite “Game of Thrones” Emilia Clarke.
Hopefully next weekend’s new releases, “Night School” “Hell Fest” and “Smallfoot” will fair better than this past weekend’s offerings.
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