‘Midway’ Surprises With Box Office Win as ‘Doctor Sleep’ Has Quiet Debut on Veterans Day Weekend
The World War II drama from Roland Emmerich surprisingly beats the ‘Shining’ prequel to launch at No. 1 with an opening number that surpasses industry projections.
AceShowbiz –
Another week, another movie projected to boost ticket sales in North America failed the studios. Following “Terminator: Dark Fate” lackluster performance on its opening weekend last week, “Doctor Sleep” has the same fate after launching to just an estimated $14.1 million and placing second at the domestic box office following its release last Friday, November 8.
The sluggish first week’s result of “The Shining” sequel left many in the business scratching their heads as to why. Budgeted at around $50 million, the Ewan McGregor-starring horror film was expected to open with at least $25 million.
“Doctor Sleep” lackluster debut may be attributed to the general malaise at the box office, as ticket sales are down 5.2 percent year-to-date for the second week in a row. “There’s no way to sugarcoat this, this was a pretty awful weekend for the overall marketplace,” says Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for the box office tracker Comscore.
Directed by Stanley Kubrick, “Doctor Sleep” follows Danny Torrance, the kid with psychic abilities from “The Shining” who has now grown up into an adult with childhood trauma. The film holds an approval rating of 74% based on 235 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, indicating generally positive reviews. But audiences seem to disagree, giving it B+ on an A+ to F scale on CinemaScore.
Amid the sluggish box office, World War II drama “Midway” surprised everyone with a No. 1 debut at the chart. The Roland Emmerich-directed movie, based on the story of the attack on Pearl Harbor and the subsequent Battle of Midway, earned an estimated $17.5 million, surpassing the $12 million industry projections.
However, with a $100 million budget, it’s not a big win for the Lionsgate movie. The studio is projecting that the film will have grossed $20.1 million by the end of Veterans Day.
Contrary to “Doctor Sleep” which didn’t ride well on the glowing reviews, “Midway” defied critics’ reviews. The movie holds an approval rating of 40% based on 92 reviews, but the audiences disagreed and gave it an average grade of A.
John Cena-led comedy “Playing with Fire” opens in third place with an estimated $12.8 million, beating romantic comedy “Last Christmas” starring Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding, which debuts at No. 4 with approximately $11.6 million. “Terminator: Dark Fate” plunges to No. 5 with an estimated $10.8 million, dipping 60% following its disappointing debut last weekend.
Top Ten Movies at Weekend Box Office for Nov. 08-11:
- “Midway” – $17.5 million
- “Doctor Sleep” – $14.1 million
- “Playing with Fire” – $ 12.8 million
- “Last Christmas” – $11.6 million
- “Terminator: Dark Fate” – $10.8 million
- “Joker” – $9.2 million
- “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” – $8 million
- “Harriet” – $7.2 million
- “Zombieland: Double Tap” – $4.3 million
- “The Addams Family” – $4.2 million