Tom & Jerry help animate the weekend box office!

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Tom and Jerry tussle in first!

Animated cat-and-mouse antics (in the real world) took over the box office this weekend as TOM & JERRY opened in first place with an estimated $13.7 million!

The eternal conflict between the famous feline and rodent duo had the second-biggest opening for a wide release during the pandemic, behind only the $16.4 million of WONDER WOMAN 1984 on Christmas weekend.

Directed by Tim Story (FANTASTIC FOUR, RIDE ALONG), the live-action/animation hybrid from Warner Bros. also simultaneously premiered on the company's HBO Max streaming service over the weekend.

The enduring rivalry of the classic Hanna/Barbera cartoon characters now finds them dueling among humans like Chloe Grace Moretz, Michael Pena, Colin Jost, Ken Jeong and Rob Delaney.

The PG-rated big-screen adaptation also captured an additional $25.1 million from international audiences for a worldwide total of $38.8 million, on a cost reportedly close to $80 million.

Critics didn't seem very amused by the cartoon violence, giving the movie a 25% average on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metacritic score of 31. You can chase the JoBlo review over HERE.

After its return to the top for a couple of weeks, the animated DreamWorks sequel THE CROODS: A NEW AGE stepped down to second place with $1.2 million on its 14th weekend on screens. Universal's PG-rated release has a domestic total of $52.3 million and $156.1 million worldwide on a reported $65 million cost.

In third place was the R-rated crime-thriller THE LITTLE THINGS with $925,000 on its fifth weekend in release. The $30 million Denzel Washington/Rami Malek/Jared Leto trifecta (which departs from Warner Bros.' HBO Max platform shortly) has a domestic total of $12.9 million and $23.2 million worldwide.

WONDER WOMAN 1984 held onto fourth place with $710,000. After ten weekends, the $200 million sequel has a domestic total of $43.6 million and a worldwide total of $161 million.

The Liam Neeson action-thriller THE MARKSMAN was again in fifth place with $700,000 for a domestic total of $12.3 million and $16 million worldwide on its seventh weekend.

In sixth place was the R-rated biopic JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH with $500,000 over its third weekend in theaters. Warner Bros.' awards hopeful (also streaming on HBO Max) has a domestic total of $4.1 million, on a reported $26 million cost.

Director Paul W.S. Anderson's videogame adaptation MONSTER HUNTER was in seventh place with $460,000. The PG-13 action movie has a domestic total of $14 million and nearly $30 million worldwide on a reported cost of $60 million.

Star/director Robin Wright's survival drama LAND was in eighth place with $355,000 over its third weekend, followed by potential Oscar contender  NOMADLAND with $333,000 as the Frances McDormand drama has traveled to a domestic total of $1.1 million.

Closing out the list the Tom Hanks Western NEWS OF THE WORLD, and for the first time in three-and-a-half months, the Robert De Niro comedy THE WAR WITH GRANDPA didn't make the Top 10.

Next weekend brings some new competitors in wide release, including Disney's animated fantasy RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON (also on Disney+ at extra cost), and the perpetually delayed Tom Holland/Daisy Ridley sci-fi movie CHAOS WALKING.

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