LOS ANGELES — Moviegoers could choose violence, sex or family-friendly fare this weekend with three diverse new offerings that all drew healthy numbers at the North American box office. "The Lego Batman Movie" took the top spot with $55.6 million, dominating "Fifty Shades Darker," which attracted $46.8 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. The spinoff of 2014's "Lego Movie" benefited from good reviews and a lack of competition in the family space, which is expected to help it maintain its pace going into the holiday weekend, when kids are out of school. A whopping 48 percent of opening weekend audiences was under 25. It also bodes well for Warner Bros.' next Lego spinoff, "The Lego Ninjago Movie," set for September. U.S. audiences were slightly less curious to catch up with the exploits of Christian Grey and Ana Steele the second time around. The sequel didn't compare to "Fifty Shades of Grey's" $85.2 million debut in 2015. Nick Carpou, Universal Pictures' president of domestic theatrical distribution, said the first movie debuted in a "perfect storm."
The film adaptation of the best-selling book had gained immense interest and Valentine's Day fell on a Saturday in 2015, making the movie a date-night destination. This year, the holiday lands on a Tuesday. "This is a great start," Carpou said, noting that the CinemaScore from audiences is stronger for the sequel. "The story will be told through the first part of this week." "Fifty Shades Darker" fared much better abroad, bringing in $100.1 million and topping international charts. The other R-rated sequel in theaters this weekend, "John Wick: Chapter 2" took third place. With $30 million, it more than doubled the debut of the original. The Keanu Reeves hit man flick became a sleeper hit on the small screen, and that goodwill helped bolster interest in the follow-up, which is also getting strong reviews. "People really love its unapologetic violence," said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst for box office tracker comScore. Rounding out the top five were holdovers "Split," the M. Night Shyamalan psychological thriller that added $9.3 million, for a total of $112.3 million in earnings, and Oscar contender "Hidden Figures" with $8 million, boosting its total to $131.5 million.
It was a strong weekend overall for theaters, attributable to the different options available, Dergarabedian said. "The tried and true brands are what people really gravitated to this weekend. The top three movies this weekend all based on brands that people know and love," he said. "Each film drew their own audience without harming the other films. This was a perfectly programmed weekend." Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday also are included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday. 1. "The Lego Batman Movie," $55.6 million ($37 million international). 2. "Fifty Shades Darker," $46.8 million ($100.1 million international). 3. "John Wick: Chapter 2," $30 million ($10.6 million international). 4. "Split," $9.3 million ($8.5 million international). 5. "Hidden Figures," $8 million ($2.7 million international).
6. "A Dog's Purpose," $7.4 million ($1.5 million international). 7. "Rings," $5.8 million ($9.6 million international). 8. "La La Land," $5 million ($11.5 million international). 9. "Lion," $4.1 million ($3.6 million international). 10. "The Space Between Us," $1.8 million ($1.3 million international). Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada), according to comScore: 1. "Fifty Shades Darker," $100.1 million. 2. "xXx: The Return of Xander Cage," $69.3 million. 3. "The Lego Batman Movie," $37 million. 4. "Kung Fu Yoga," $16 million. 5. "Cook Up a Storm, $12.1 million. 7. "La La Land," $11.5 million. 8. "Jolly LLB 2," $10.5 million. CEO had an update this morning for fans of , and corporate synergy, in his quarterly call with Wall Street analysts. He talked up the prospects for the comics franchise, noting that DC Comics-related theatrical movies will join Star Wars as part of the effort to refresh and .
“We announced this quarter that TBS and TNT have reached a deal with Disney to be the cable home for the entire canon of Star Wars movies, and a similar deal with Warner Bros for its DC theatrical titles,” he said. “And that’s added to an already strong lineup that also includes Disney’s Marvel movies and the Hunger Games franchise.” The effort “aligns perfectly with the younger audiences these brands are drawing.” Later in the call, Bewkes touted what he called the “much anticipated” upcoming releases of Wonder Woman, Justice League and Lego Batman. He also cheered “an unprecedented 10 television series based on DC characters” — a business that he says is “generating more than $1 billion a year in revenue and going up.” Sales are strong in digital properties, consumer products and “even in print,” he added. Indeed, “since May DC has shipped a record 18 million comic books based on the new Rebirth series.” That’s “spearheaded by Geoff Johns, the renowned comic book writer who’s also actively helping to shape our DC films.”
In September the CEO told investors that upcoming DC Comics-related films will have “more lightness in them” than people saw from this year’s financially successful — but critically panned — Batman V Superman and Suicide Squad. Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy Snowpiercer chugs along to television Snowpiercer has been on the page and on the big screen and soon, it could be coming to the small screen. TNT has ordered a pilot for a Snowpiercer TV series, based on Bong Joon-ho’s 2014 film and the French graphic novel Le Transperceneige by Jacques Lob and Jean-Marc Rochette. The series is being produced by Tomorrow Studios, which is already working with TNT on Good Behavior and a Let the Right One In adaptation. If you haven’t experienced either (and why haven’t you?), the story takes place on a perpetually moving train where humanity now lives after an environmental catastrophe plunged the world into an Ice Age.
The narrative focuses heavily on class, where the disenfranchised, lower-class people at the back of the train are fighting to get to the front, where the wealthy live. Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton starred in the project, which featured memorable visuals and an absurd science fiction premise that they somehow managed to make work. There are so many post-apocalyptic stories out there, so to showcase and tell one that takes place on a train built with a class hierarchy was risky, but welcome. “Snowpiercer has one of the most original concepts to hit the screen in the last decade, and it’s one that offers numerous opportunities for deeper exploration in a series format,” said Sarah Aubrey, executive vice president of original programming for TNT. “We look forward to expanding TNT’s relationship with Tomorrow Studios and their take on a world where humanity is pushed to the extreme.” The two-hour film was critically acclaimed upon release, with a 95 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, although it had a limited release, so it didn’t make a lot of money.