Many have been waiting years for a live-action Justice League film. But, although the superhero flick made some cash, it was certainly a letdown from a monetary perspective, allowing other films to thrive and receive some solid earnings.
#5: Murder on the Orient Express – $13.8 Million
Based on industry averages, the second weekend for Murder on the Orient Express moved the film into the black for Fox. The film had a pretty average drop of 52%, which was probably hurt somewhat by Justice League opening this weekend.
On a $55 million budget, the film has grossed over $148 million, making every dollar earned at this point something extra for Fox to get excited about. It won’t necessarily finance other films down the road, but Fox can rest easy knowing that this film didn’t hurt their bank statements.
#4: Daddy’s Home 2 – $14.8 Million
Daddy’s Home 2 dropped in similar fashion to Murder on the Orient Express, falling around 50% in its second weekend in theaters. The film also crossed the $50 million threshold at the domestic box office. However, this amount just won’t be enough for the film to turn a profit since it has an absurdly bloated budget of about $69 million.
How is that even possible? Deadpool had a budget of only $58 million when it hit theaters in 2016, and it looked twice as good as this cheap looking movie. The budget is even more head-scratching as Paramount is currently going through notable financial issues, making every dollar spent crucial. Frivolous spending is the sign of a company that doesn’t get it.
#3: Thor: Ragnarok – $21.79 Million
Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok continues to impress, taking in another $21.79 million in its third weekend. The film dropped an alarming 61.8% this weekend, but that was largely in part to Justice League taking away a chunk of a similar demographic.
During its worldwide theatrical release, Ragnarok has amassed $738 million thus far. To put that in perspective, the movie’s current pace is 11% ahead of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 from earlier this year. Guardians 2 went on to gross about $864 million by the time it left theaters. So, if you do the math, that’ll put Thor: Ragnarok ‘s overall total around $959 million. Stay tuned to see if Thor can crack the $1 billion mark in the coming weeks.
#2: Wonder – $27.09 Million
Wonder is this critic’s choice for the most adorable movie of the year, and audiences seemed to share that sentiment as well. Weekend estimates for the film were changed mulitple times since nightly results kept surpassing what forecasters predicted. That $27 million figure isn’t the largest sum of money in the world, but it’s a pretty astonishing number for this particular film to post.
The film has already earned back its production budget of $20 million, making every weekend after this one pure gravy for Lionsgate. Moreover, Wonder may have serious replay value among audiences as it scored an “A+” Cinemascore. You can expect Wonder to have very tiny week-to-week drop-offs, meaning that it’ll stay in theaters for quite some time. The holiday season will also help Wonder as patrons will look for a feel-good movie to spread some cheer.
#1: Justice League – $96 Million
Sorry, Justice League fans, but the latest DC adaptation failed to make its bloated budget worthwhile.
JL‘s expansive reshoots have been well-documented. But, what many fail to realize is that those reshoots ballooned the movie’s budget to around $300 million. If you go by the typical x2.5 multiplier rule, Justice League will have to earn $750 million just to recoup all of its expenses. After disappointing worldwide returns of $282 million this weekend, Justice League will need to really pick up the pace in the coming weeks.
These results are disappointing enough on their own, but they also speak to bigger changes on the horizon for future DC films. Warner Bros. made it apparent that they were going to wait to see how Justice League performed before greenlighting another slate of projects. Unless JL‘s fortunes improve, Warner Bros. might make the rumored Flashpoint movie a priority in order to reboot the entire universe.
Odds and Ends
–Lady Bird earned over $2.5 million from only 238 theaters, building on the film’s impressive start in limited release thus far.
-Three Billboards Outsided Ebbing, Missouri also succeeded in limited release, amassing over $1.1 million from only 53 theaters.
-The faith-based animated film The Star received $10 million. Although the film was positively received by those who saw it, it will most likely fade off into nothingness with Pixar’s Coco opening this coming weekend.
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*Statistics via Box Office Mojo
2 comments
What do you mean by the multiplier effect?? Also I really enjoy reading your blog so keep up the good work
I’m so glad you like it! The general rule on movies is that it needs to make 2.5 times the production budget to turn a profit. It’s a very rough estimate, but it helps to account for marketing costs, actor salaries, etc.