The box office continued its November resurgence with a strong showing from multiple films over the course of the weekend.
Repeating in the top spot, as expected, is Thor: Ragnarok with $56.6 million. The latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe dropped 53.9 percent from its debut, which is a strong hold for an anticipated tentpole (which tend to be very front loaded). It was able to ride its continuous wave of positive buzz, drawing in audiences looking for a fun, escapist blockbuster. Ragnarok's time at #1 will come to an end shortly with Justice League on the horizon, but Marvel has to be quite pleased with the way this one performed. To date, it's brought in $211.5 million domestically (already besting the Stateside hauls of the first two Thor films) and $650 million worldwide against a $180 million production budget.
Opening in second is the comedy sequel Daddy's Home 2, which grossed $30 million in its first three days. The movie exceeded expectations many had going into Friday, debuting in the same ballpark as its predecessor ($38.7 million in 2015). Despite widely negative reviews, the star power of Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell (combined with Mel Gibson and John Lithgow) was enough to make Daddy's Home 2 a solid hit. The holiday setting may have helped its commercial prospects as well, since it is now that time of year and people are looking to get into a festive mood.
It'll be interesting to see how the film holds up throughout its run, but it should be in good shape. There aren't many other mainstream comedies coming out between now and the end of the year, so Paramount was smart about where they placed this one on the schedule. With A Bad Moms Christmas already in the rearview mirror, Daddy's Home 2 could bring in the Christmas cheer at the multiplex, considering it's able to survive the bad word-of-mouth.
Kenneth Branagh's interpretation of Murder on the Orient Express (read our review) comes in third with $28.2 million in its opening weekend. The star-studded affair earned generally positive reviews, emerging as a nice counter-programming option for older moviegoers looking for a respite from the usual tentpoles. The old-fashioned charm behind Orient Express made it appealing to a specific section of the moviegoing public, and it got off to a good start. However, if it is to turn a profit off its $55 million production budget, Murder will need some help from the overseas market. Domestically, Justice League and Pixar's Coco will dominate the screens the second half of November, putting the Agatha Christie adaptation at a disadvantage.
Coming in fourth is A Bad Moms Christmas, which made $11.5 million in its second weekend. The comedy sequel has now brought in $39.8 million domestically.
Rounding out the top five is Jigsaw. The latest entry in the Saw franchise made $3.4 million, raising its U.S. total to $34.3 million. It currently ranks as the second-lowest grossing series installment, meaning it might be a while before this property is brought back again.
Keeping with the Halloween theme, Boo 2! A Madea Halloween came in sixth with $2 million. Tyler Perry's latest movie is now up to $45.9 million domestically.
The #7 film is Geostorm with $1.5 million. The notorious box office bomb increased its domestic total to a measly $31.6 million.
In eighth is Blade Runner 2049. The critically acclaimed sci-fi sequel earned $1.4 million in its sixth weekend and has now made $88 million domestically. This barely top's the original's Stateside total when adjusted for 2017 inflation ($83.7 million), illustrating that the property has always been more niche than other genre movies.
Horror film Happy Death Day comes in ninth with $1.3 million, raising its domestic total to $54.9 million.
Capping off the top 10 is Oscar-contending drama Lady Bird, which had an "expansion" to 37 locations and grossed $1.2 million. The film was able to capitalize on its strong buzz, and it will be interesting to see if A24 adds extra theaters in the coming weeks so more cinephiles can see it.
[NOTE: These are only weekend box office estimates -- based on Friday and Saturday ticket sales coupled with adjusted expectations for Sunday. Official weekend box office results will be released on Monday, November 13 -- at which time we'll update this post with any changes.]
Source: Box Office Mojo