Goofy superhero kids’ toys beat kinky whips and bondage at movie theaters this weekend as “The Lego Batman Movie” topped “Fifty Shades Darker” for the No. 1 spot at the domestic box office.Warner Bros.’ new “Lego Movie” spinoff grossed $55.6 million in the U.S. and Canada from Friday through Sunday, according to studio estimates, proving the unexpected success of the 2014 original comedy was not a fluke. The opening result for “Lego Batman,” a send-up of the DC Comics character, was slightly lower than the $60 million to $65 million analysts predicted last week. Yet it was still a strong start for the movie that cost an estimated $80 million to make, considerably less expensive than the typical animated feature.In international markets, "Lego Batman” made an estimated $37 million over the weekend. Reviews for “The Lego Batman Movie,” featuring the voice of Will Arnett as the growling billionaire vigilante, have been overwhelmingly positive, which bodes well for the movie’s prospects in the coming weeks, not to mention future Lego cartoons from the studio.
“We were so excited when the ‘Lego Movie’ launched a whole franchise in 2014, and to see this first standalone film take off like this is pretty cool for us,” said Jeff Goldstein, president of domestic distribution at Warner Bros. “We’re getting everybody. We’re of course getting young families, but we’re also getting tweens, teens and adults.” Universal Pictures’ “Fifty Shades of Grey” sequel, meanwhile, settled for second place with an estimated $46.8 million in ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada through Sunday, a solid result for the movie that cost less than $60 million to make. The debut was considerably lower than the stellar opening for the original, which was released during a four-day weekend when the E.L. James erotic novel series was at the height of its popularity. The opening for the first film topped $93 million over a long weekend that coincided with Valentine’s Day and Presidents Day. The follow-up also cost more to produce. Yet Nick Carpou, Universal Pictures’ domestic distribution president, said the picture should continue to play well during the Valentine’s Day week and the upcoming four-day weekend, especially among females who made up 70% of the audience for “Fifty Shades Darker.”
The movie also proved popular abroad, bringing in $100 million from countries outside the U.S. and Canada. “We have a good chance of continuing to be very relevant next weekend,” Carpou said. “This is a win for the franchise.” By far the biggest surprise was “John Wick: Chapter 2,” which took in $30 million in its debut, close to double what the original made in 2014. The healthy result easily topped industry projections of $20 million.The first “John Wick,” introducing Keanu Reeves as a highly effective ex-hitman who comes out of retirement in a revenge-fueled killing spree, was a modest performer at theaters but became a cult favorite on home video among young men and video gamers. The three new wide releases provided a much-desired boost to the movie industry during the weekend before Valentine’s Day, coming after a dismal Super Bowl weekend that delivered a pair of disappointments in “Rings” and “The Space Between Us.” Strong holdovers also gave theater owners reason to be happy.
M. Night Shyamalan’s “Split,” the hit thriller from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions, finally yielded the No. 1 perch after three weeks at the top, and fell to fourth place. The film, starring James McAvoy as a villain with multiple personalities, added $9.3 million to its take, bringing its total domestic gross to $112 million. In fifth place was “Hidden Figures,” the Oscar-nominated space race drama about black women in the early days of NASA. The film from 20th Century Fox and Chernin Entertainment earned $8 million for a cumulative total of $131 million. Among Oscar contenders, the Weinstein Co.’s “Lion,” starring Dev Patel as an adopted Indian child on a mission to find his birth mother, continued to gain momentum at the box office. The drama scored $4 million Friday through Sunday, making its domestic total $30.4 million after 12 weeks in theaters.This article was updated to include international ticket sales.10 a.m.: This article was updated with a comment from Universal Pictures executive Nick Carpou.
This article was originally published at 9 a.m.After winning the Valentine's Day and President’s Day weekends, The LEGO Batman Movie has been knocked off its perch by Get Out — the horror-comedy directed by Jordan Peele that addresses the racism that continues to divide our nation from a clever, entertaining, and unique angle. Get Out pulled in $10.8 million on Friday and is projected to win the weekend with 3-day total of $28-$29 million. Whereas most horror films receive B-level CinemaScores, Get Out has been getting an A- CinemaScore from audiences — suggesting its box office numbers aren't front loaded, will have legs. The LEGO Batman Movie is projected to gross $18 million this week, which is good enough for a second-place finish. Meanwhile, John Wick: Chapter 2 will take third with $8.6 million, The Great Wall will nab fourth with $8 Million, and Fifty Shades Darker falls to fifth with $7.5 million. Get Out is a Masterful Horror Comedy Experience In Universal Pictures’ Get Out, a speculative thriller from Blumhouse (producers of The Visit, Insidious series and The Gift) and the mind of Jordan Peele, when a young African-American man visits his white girlfriend’s family estate, he becomes ensnared in a more sinister real reason for the invitation.
Now that Chris (Daniel Kaluuya, Sicario) and his girlfriend, Rose (Allison Williams, Girls), have reached the meet-the-parents milestone of dating, she invites him for a weekend getaway upstate with Missy (Catherine Keener, Captain Phillips) and Dean (Bradley Whitford, The Cabin in the Woods). At first, Chris reads the family’s overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter’s interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries lead him to a truth that he could have never imagined. Equal parts gripping thriller and provocative commentary, Get Out is written and directed by Peele (Key and Peele) and produced by Blumhouse’s Jason Blum, as well as Sean McKittrick (Donnie Darko, Bad Words), Edward H. Hamm Jr. (Bad Words) and Peele. The film also stars Caleb Landry Jones (X-Men series), Stephen Root (No Country for Old Men), Milton “Lil Rel” Howery (The Carmichael Show), Betty Gabriel (The Purge: Election Year), Marcus Henderson (Pete’s Dragon) and Lakeith Stanfield (Straight Outta Compton).