Weekend Box Office Report: December 28-30, 2018

Aquaman stays afloat in first!

On the final weekend of 2018, DC Comics' ocean-based champion retained control of the box office as AQUAMAN reeled in an estimated $51.5 million!

The superhero's solo sea adventure from director James Wan took a dip of only 23% from its opening last weekend, wading to a domestic total of $188.7 million after ten days (plus its two sneak preview screenings).

With a current worldwide total of $748.8 million, Jason Momoa's sinewy swimmer has already powered past the global finishes for fellow DC "Extended Universe" releases JUSTICE LEAGUE ($657 million), MAN OF STEEL ($668 million) and SUICIDE SQUAD ($746 million).

Disney's PG-rated sequel MARY POPPINS RETURNS stayed in second place with $28 million, actually rising by 19% over last weekend's figures for a 12-day domestic total of $98.9 million.

The Rob Marshall-directed musical fantasy, with Emily Blunt now in the title role, has a worldwide total of $173.3 million (on a reported cost of $130 million).

Idling its engine in third place again was the PG-13 prequel BUMBLEBEE with $20.5 million, braking by just 5% from its opening last weekend.

The $135 million TRANSFORMERS spinoff, with Hailee Steinfeld befriending the titular robo-vehicle in the 1980s, has a ten-day domestic total of $66.7 million and a worldwide total of $156.7 million.

In fourth place was the PG-rated animated movie SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE with $18.3 million, improving on last weekend's performance as it went swinging over $100 million domestic.

The involuntary congregation of other-dimensional spider-beings (written by THE LEGO MOVIE duo Christopher Miller and Phil Lord) now has a worldwide total of $213.2 million, on a reported $90 million cost.

The R-rated crime-drama THE MULE kept on truckin' in fifth place with $11.7 million, also a gain on its haul from last weekend. Director-star Clint Eastwood's $50 million drug trafficking thriller is up to a domestic total of $60.7 million on its third weekend.

In sixth place was the new R-rated drama VICE with $7.7 million for its first weekend.

Actor Christian Bale's latest alteration of his physical form, this time to play the former U.S. Vice President to George W. Bush, has collected $17.7 million since it opened on Christmas Day.

Also featuring Steve Carell, Amy Adams and Sam Rockwell, the Dick Cheney biopic from director Adam McKay (THE BIG SHORT, ANCHORMAN) came with a reported production cost of $60 million.

Critics were polarized by the look at the controversial politician's life, giving it an average of 64% on Rotten Tomatoes. The JoBlo review can be found HERE.

The new Will Ferrell / John C. Reilly comedy HOLMES & WATSON was in seventh place with $7.3 million over its first weekend in theaters.

The PG-13 twist on Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary detectives (from Ferrell's GET HARD director Etan Cohen) has gathered a domestic total of $19.7 million since its Christmas Day debut.

Neither its weekend take nor its six-day figure came anywhere close to the openings for Ferrell and Reilly's previous collaborations TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY (a $47 million start in 2006) or STEP BROTHERS ($30.9 million in 2008). The duo's latest screen team-up cost a reported $42 million.

The movie was withheld from critics before hitting theaters on Christmas, but it has since been smacked with a current 9% critical average on Rotten Tomatoes (ultimately escaping its dismal 0% average on the first couple of days).

The PG-13 Jennifer Lopez romantic comedy SECOND ACT was in eighth place with $7.2 million, up by 11% from its opening last weekend for a ten-day domestic total of $21.7 million (on a reported $16 million cost).

On its sixth weekend in release, RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET was in ninth place with $6.5 million, carrying Disney's animated sequel to $175.1 million domestic and $350.4 million worldwide (both figures still shy of WRECK-IT RALPH's respective $189 million and $471 million finishes).

Closing out the list was THE GRINCH with $4.2 million, bringing it to $265.5 million domestic and finally pushing past the $260 million total for the live-action THE GRINCH WHO STOLE CHRISTMAS back in 2000. The $75 million animated Dr. Seuss adaptation has snatched $469 million worldwide.

Outside the chart, Director Robert Zemeckis' drama WELCOME TO MARWEN disappeared after one week in the Top 10, and the Saoirse Ronan/Margot Robbie period drama MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS was also thrown from its throne.

Of the weekend's new limited releases, the Ruth Bader Ginsburg biopic ON THE BASIS OF SEX scored the best per-screen average with $20k, followed by the Nicole Kidman cop drama DESTROYER with a $19k average and the Laurel and Hardy biopic STAN & OLLIE with $16k per-screen.

Additionallly, the period comedy-drama THE FAVOURITE has thus far accrued a $15.2 million domestic total at 800 locations, while Peter Jackson's digitally enhanced war documentary THEY SHALL NOT GROW OLD had another theatrical showing on December 27th for $3.3 million, giving it $5.7 million total from its two days on screens.

Next weekend kicks off the new year with only the horror-thriller ESCAPE ROOM.

Which January release are you most interested in seeing? VOTE HERE!