Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Box Office Discussion: "1984" Underwhelms in 2021

Proving that last week's decline wasn't a fluke, Wonder Woman 1984 continues its rapid fade.

Only two weeks removed from the best gross for a film since the pandemic began, Wonder Woman 1984 fell to a $3 million gross in its third weekend.  To be fair, the first post-holiday weekend isn't usually a great one, but with no major blockbusters on the horizon, there was hope that WW84 would be able to sustain the movie industry through at least January.  Instead, its gross isn't too much more than what Honest Thief did on its third weekend.  Of course, it doesn't help that the movie features a malevolent, frequently bankrupt businessman with a weird hairdo causing chaos and violence in Washington D.C.  Overall, WW has grossed $32.6 million, and still trails the surprisingly leggy Croods: A New Age in overall earnings.

Speaking of The Croods, they came in second, taking in $1.8 million for a total gross of $36.9 million, still, for now, the second-highest pandemic release.  News of the World has been holding up considerably better than Wonder Woman, but it started much lower and still has only grossed $7.1 million.  Monster Hunter is the only other movie to top $1 million for the weekend, as the fantasy actioner, the type of movie that usually opens in early January, has now grossed $7.8 million.

Indeed, the entire top 8 is the exact same as last weekend, with Fatale, Promising Young Woman, Pinocchio, and The War With Grandpa (topping $19 million in its 14th weekend) taking slots 5-8.  Last week's 9 and 10, Alien and Come Play, switch slots, though neither is able to hit $100,000.

This weekend brings a film that will likely challenge Wonder Woman for the top spot.  Liam Neeson's latest Old Man of Action thriller, The Marksman, in which he plays a former Marine with a ranch along the border who tries to save a young boy from a viscous drug cartel.  Disney appeared to skip its usual re-release last weekend, but is back this weekend with a return engagement for The Emperor's New Groove from 2000.  Also returning, albeit in a lot fewer theaters, is the 2014 Ice Cube/Kevin Hart comedy Ride Along.  For Martin Luther King weekend, there appear to also be limited re-releases of Selma and Harriet.  Will Liam Neeson be able to knock off Wonder Woman?  We'll find out next week.

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