A Disney-owned blockbuster and a non-Disney animated film ruled the box office over the Christmas weekend as a few other new films struggled to find an audience.
Sing, an animated film (produced by Illumination Entertainment, the outfit behind Despicable Me and The Secret Life of Pets) about a musical talent competition, was the top new film of the week, grossing an estimated $35.3 million between Friday and Sunday and earning $55.9 million in total since opening on Tuesday night.
That was easily the best opening for an animated film released in December, beating the $24.2 million that The Princess and the Frog opened to in 2009.
But Sing was only the second-highest-grossing movie this week. The top spot went to Rogue One, which earned $64.4 million over the holiday weekend.
Rogue One — which is the second Star Wars movie to be made since Disney bought Lucasfilm — has earned $286.4 million in North America since opening last week, and another $237.4 million overseas, for a global total of $523.8 million.
Three other new wide releases had trouble competing with the two big movies.
Passengers, starring Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence as two people who wake up 90 years early on a spacecraft bound for another planet, landed in third place with $14.9 million for the weekend (and $22.2 million since opening on Tuesday night), which was one of the lowest openings ever for either actor in a lead role.
Why Him? — a comedy starring Bryan Cranston as a straitlaced Midwesterner who actively dislikes his daughter’s new boyfriend, a tech billionaire played by James Franco — opened on Friday and landed in fourth place with $11.1 million.
And Assassin’s Creed, a video-game adaptation that reunites Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard with Macbeth director Justin Kurzel, landed in fifth place with $10.3 million for the weekend (and $17.8 million since opening Tuesday night).
One other film went into wide release on Christmas Day and landed in the top ten on the strength of its Sunday performance alone.
Fences, an adaptation of the Pulitzer-winning play directed by Denzel Washington, jumped from four theatres to over 2,200 and landed in seventh place with $6.6 million. The film has earned $6.9 million since opening ten days ago.
Meanwhile, in other box-office news…
Moana earned $7.4 million and ranked sixth in its fifth week, thereby raising its domestic cume to $180.4 million. The film has earned another $144.5 million overseas, for a global total of $324.9 million.
La La Land earned $5.7 million and ranked eighth in its third week, thereby raising its domestic cume to $13.6 million. The film has earned another $17.7 million overseas, for a global total of $31.3 million.
Office Christmas Party earned $5.1 million and ranked ninth in its third week, thereby raising its domestic cume to $42.2 million. The film has earned another $36.9 million overseas, for a global total of $79.1 million.
And Collateral Beauty earned $4.3 million and ranked tenth in its second week, thereby raising its domestic cume to $15.3 million. The film has earned another $11.5 million overseas, for a global total of $26.8 million.
Next week will not bring us any new wide releases.
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