‘Joker’ Surpasses Second Weekend Projections as Will Smith’s ‘Gemini Man’ Bombs
‘The Addams Family’ animated remake cannot scare off the Todd Phillips-directed film, which holds strong at No. 1 at the domestic chart on a Columbus Day weekend.
AceShowbiz –
“Joker” is unbeatable at North American box office on its second weekend. The R-rated movie about the origins of Batman’s famous villain holds onto the first spot with an estimated $55 million on a Columbus Day weekend, dropping only 42.8% from last weekend.
The movie’s second weekend revenue surpassed industry projections, which were mostly around $48 million or below. The Todd Phillips-directed film has so far grossed $192.7 million domestically, after breaking the highest-grossing opening record in October with $96 million.
“This second weekend hold indicates more than just comic book fans are showing up,” Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at Boxoffice.com, tells CNN Business. “It’s a movie with multiple creative elements resonating with those craving a grittier, wholly character-driven film set in a comic book world.”
The movie starring Joaquin Phoenix as the title character faced little to no competition from two new wide releases, “The Addams Family” and “Gemini Man“. The animated remake to iconic TV show brought in an estimated $30 million on its first weekend to place second at the domestic chart.
The comedy horror film received mixed reviews from critics, with many praising the voice cast, comedy and animation, but criticized the lighter tone of the story compared to its darker source material. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of “B+” on an A+ to F scale, indicating more favorable opinions from moviegoers.
Another newcomer, “Gemini Man” from acclaimed filmmaker Ang Lee failed to deliver a stellar result for Paramount Pictures, despite the star power of its lead actor, Will Smith. The action film, which was reportedly made on a $140 million budget, grossed approximately $20.5 million in North America. It was initially predicted that “Gemini Man” and “The Addams Family” would’ve competed tightly for the second position, but the latter easily won the runner-up place.
“Gemini Man” received not so-favorable reviews from critics, holding an approval rating of 25% on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences, however, were nicer to the film, giving it an average grade of “B+” on CinemaScore.
“Abominable” drops two positions to No. 4 with an estimated addition of $6.2 million, while “Downton Abbey” also slides two places to No. 5 with approximately $4.9 million.
Top Ten Movies at Weekend Box Office for Oct. 11-13:
- “Joker” – $55 million
- “The Addams Family” – $30.3 million
- “Gemini Man” – $20.5 million
- “Abominable” – $6.2 million
- “Downton Abbey” – $4.9 million
- “Hustlers” – $3.8 million
- “Judy” – $3.25 million
- “It Chapter Two” – $3.2 million
- “Jexi” – $3.1 million
- “Ad Astra” – $1.9