Welcome back to Box Office Breakdown, the weekly segment where I analyze the top ten highest grossing films of the past weekend. As theatres continue to reopen and prepare for an onslaught of new theatrical releases, we will be analyzing the state of the box office, as well as VOD and streaming.
With the recent announcement that the entirety of Ontario will be in lockdown for the next thirty days, which in turn sees the closure of theatres, the Box Office is going to be very uneventful in the coming weeks. Typically Christmas and the weekend preceding it are goldmines when it comes to the Box Office, but this year its a very different story. While there are certainly major releases that are worth talking about, most of them will be landing on PVOD or streaming that day of their release.
One last film was released theatrically before theatres close province wide. Monster Hunter is the first major blockbuster that has been released theatrically in quite some time and it has finally dethroned The Croods: A New Age. The film has received mixed reviews, but it is a considerable improvement from Paul WS. Anderson’s last few films. Wonder Woman 1984 is set to hit certain theatres in the US and out of province on Christmas, so its unlikely that Monster Hunter will cling on to the number one spot for another week in a row, but it could stick around on the top 10 for a while.
The R-Rated thriller Fatale starring Hilary Swank secured a spot in the top 3, although its unclear how long it will remain as the marketing has been very minimal and it has received generally mixed to negative reception from both critics and audiences.
Gerard Butler’s disaster film Greenland was released exclusively on VOD domestically and it has absolutely dominated on Amazon, surging to the #1 spot. The film has received unexpectedly positive reviews from critics, as it is currently holding a 76% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It has also done quite well internationally, as it has already earned almost $50M.
Netflix dropped one of this year’s most promising awards contenders, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which has been earning nominations left and and right from critics groups. The film has a staggering 99% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has received mostly positive feedback from audiences as well, with many praising the performances. The film is unfortunately having trouble securing a placement in Netflix’s top 10 trending list, but it could earn a financial boost closer to the Oscars.
Here are the top 10 highest grossing films domestically from the past weekend:
10) How the Grinch Stole Christmas: 2020 Re-release (Week 3: $130M)
9) National Lampoons Christmas Vacation: 2020 Re-release (Week 4: $166K)
8) The War with Grandpa (Week 11: $171K)
7) Freaky (Week 6: $175K)
6) The Polar Express: 2020 Re-release (Week 3: $231K)
5) Half Brothers (Week 3: $272K)
4) Elf: 2020 Re-release (Week 6: $365K)
3) Fatale (Week 1: $918K)
2) The Croods: A New Age (Week 3: $2.1M)
1) Monster Hunter (Week 1: $2.2M)
In the coming weeks, we will continue to analyze the state of VOD releases and will provide updates regarding upcoming films.
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