Weekend Box Office Report: January 6-8, 2017

Rogue One is still number one!

It may be a brand new year, but one thing hasn’t changed: STAR WARS is still the biggest attraction at the box office as ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY remained in first place with an estimated $21.9 million!

The standalone prequel from director Gareth Edwards now has a domestic total of $477 million after a month in theaters, and is destined to pass the $486 million finish of FINDING DORY to become the highest-grossing release of 2016.

With $914 million worldwide in the bank so far, it's hard to imagine that a series of self-contained spinoff/prequel STAR WARS movies was ever considered a "risk".

The NASA drama HIDDEN FIGURES expanded into wide release and nearly toppled the Empire from their box office throne, rocketing into a close second with $21.8 million.

The fact-based story featuring Octavia Spencer, Taraji P. Henson and singer Janelle Monáe cost a reported $25 million, and has a domestic total of $24.7 million since its limited run began on Christmas. The adaptation of Margot Lee Shetterly's book is also orbiting a critical average of 93% on Rotten Tomatoes (you can read the JoBlo review HERE).

In third place was the animated animal musical SING with another $19.5 million, bringing its domestic total to $213 million on its third weekend in theaters. The PG-rated family comedy from DESPICABLE ME creators Illumination Entertainment has a worldwide total of $356.8 million.

Opening in fourth place was the R-rated sequel UNDERWORLD: BLOOD WARS with $13.1 million. The fifth in the series of action-horror movies, which once again features Kate Beckinsale as the lethal leather-bound leading lady, cost a reported $35 million.

Although BLOOD WARS marks the lowest domestic opening of the franchise (prequel RISE OF THE LYCANS was previously on the bottom with a $20.8 million start), the latest chapter of the ongoing vampire-werewolf war has already gathered an additional $50 million from international audiences since it opened in November. Critics jabbed a stake in the movie with 22% on Rotten Tomatoes (check out the JoBlo review HERE).

The Ryan Gosling/Emma Stone frolic LA LA LAND trotted up to fifth place with $10 million after adding another 765 screens. The $30 million musical has danced its way to a domestic total of $51.6 million and $85.7 million worldwide.

On the lower half of the list, the Chris Pratt/Jennifer Lawrence space journey PASSENGERS was in sixth with $8.8 million. The $110 million galactic romance has traveled to a worldwide total of $185 million.

The R-rated Bryan Cranston/James Franco comedy WHY HIM? was in seventh place with $6.5 million, with Disney's MOANA right behind in eighth with $6.4 million.

Denzel Washington's drama FENCES came in ninth with $4.7 million, adding to its domestic total of $40.6 million since it opened wide Christmas Day. The Michael Fassbender videogame adaptation ASSASSIN'S CREED clutched to the bottom with $3.8 million as it managed to climb over $100 million worldwide.

Outside the chart, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA and COLLATERAL BEAUTY got bumped out of sight. The fantasy-drama A MONSTER CALLS expanded to 1500 screens but landed far outside the Top 10 with $2 million (and a per-screen average lower than FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM on its eighth weekend).

Next week delivers the PG-13 horror movie THE BYE BYE MAN, the Jamie Foxx action-thriller SLEEPLESS, and the bizarro buddy movie MONSTER TRUCKS. Expanding wide from limited release are Martin Scorsese's SILENCE, Ben Affleck's crime-drama LIVE BY NIGHT and the Mark Wahlberg/Peter Berg Boston Marathon bombing account PATRIOT'S DAY.

What is your favorite vampire action-horror movie? VOTE HERE!

# MOVIE TITLE WKND $ TOTAL $
1 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story $21.9 M $477.2 M
2 Hidden Figures $21.8 M $24.7 M
3 Sing $19.5 M $213.3 M
4 Underworld: Blood Wars $13.1 M NEW
5 La La Land $10 M $51.6 M
6 Why Him? $6.5 M $48.5 M
7 Passengers $8.8 M $80.8 M
8 Moana $6.4 M $225.3 M
9 Fences $4.7 M $40.6 M
10 Assassin's Creed $3.8 M $49.5 M
Source: Box Office Mojo

About the Author

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Favorite Movies: Aliens, Jaws, Inglourious Basterds, the Mad Max movies except the kid read more parts of Thunderdome, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Starship Troopers, the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, They Live, Pandorum, The Warriors, Darkman, The Thing, The Untouchables, a good percentage of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, B-movies, Westerns

Likes: Mass Effect, ginger, the 1960s Batman TV show, diversity, Fallout, non-iron read more shirts, Angela Bassett, comics, funk, making and/or consuming satisfying meals, xenomorphs, the Elric saga, weird art, volume, She-Hulk, freeze-frame credits, my goofy cats, green things, transdimensional travel, vindication

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