Weekend Box Office Report: February 15-17, 2019

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Alita battles to the top!

Wide-eyed cyborg sci-fi was the primary box office draw this weekend as ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL opened in first place with an estimated $27.8 million!

For director Robert Rodriguez, it's his third-highest three-day opening behind the $33.4 million start of his sequel SPY KIDS 3D: GAME OVER in 2003 and the $29.1 million opening of SIN CITY in 2005.

The new live-action adaptation of the manga/anime has collected a domestic total of $36.5 million since it opened on Thursday, and is expected to reach close to $42 million including the Presidents Day holiday on Monday.

Produced and co-written by James Cameron (who has been shepherding the property to the screen for two decades), the futuristic PG-13 epic cost a reported $170 million.

The CG-enhanced spectacle, featuring Christoph Waltz, Mahershala Ali, Jennifer Connelly and the performance-captured Rosa Salazar as the amnesiac war machine of the title, has also grabbed $94.3 million so far from international audiences for a worldwide total of $130.8 million.

The movie didn't exactly fire on all circuits for critics, who gave it a 58% average on Rotten Tomatoes. You can check out the JoBlo reviews HERE and HERE.

Animated sequel THE LEGO MOVIE 2: THE SECOND PART was disassembled to second place with $21.2 million, a dip of 38% from its opening on top last weekend.

The PG-rated space adventure of colorful brick people has a ten-day domestic total of $62.6 million and has put together $97.3 million worldwide, on a reported cost of $100 million.

Opening in third place was the new comedy ISN'T IT ROMANTIC with $14.2 million.

The PG-13 romcom with Rebel Wilson and Liam Hemsworth has a domestic total of $20.5 million since its pre-Valentine's Day opening on Wednesday. The feature from director Todd Strauss-Schulson (THE FINAL GIRLS, A VERY HAROLD & KUMAR 3D CHRISTMAS) cost a reported $31 million.

Critics were marginally amused by the amourous satire, giving the movie a 69% average on Rotten Tomatoes. Connect with the JoBlo review right HERE.

The Taraji P. Henson comedy WHAT MEN WANT was in fourth place with $10.9 million, losing 40% of business from last weekend's opening. The R-rated gender-switch of the Mel Gibson movie WHAT WOMEN WANT has a ten-day domestic total of $36.1 million, on a reported $20 million cost.

In fifth place was the new horror sequel HAPPY DEATH DAY 2 U with an opening of $9.8 million.

The PG-13 thriller, with Jessica Rothe again having a GROUNDHOG DAY-style experience with a serial killer, has a $13.5 million domestic total since its Wednesday opening. The $9 million follow-up from horror company Blumhouse also has a worlwide total of $25.3 million.

The original HAPPY DEATH DAY opened to a surprising $26 million in October 2017 before going on to a domestic total of $55.6 million and a worldwide total of $125.5 million (on a $5 million budget).

Critics weren't entirely on board for more murderous repetition, giving the movie a 66% average on Rotten Tomatoes. The JoBlo review (via Arrow in the Head) is HERE.

The R-rated Liam Neeson revenge thriller COLD PURSUIT was in sixth place with $6 million, sliding by 45% from its opening last weekend. The snowy $60 million crime-drama (a remake of the Stellan Skarsgard movie IN ORDER OF DISAPPEARANCE) has a ten-day domestic total of $21.1 million.

In seventh place was the PG-13 drama THE UPSIDE with $5.5 million, bringing the Kevin Hart/Bryan Cranston/Nicole Kidman remake of French film THE INTOUCHABLES to a domestic total of $94.1 million and $103.9 million worldwide after six weeks (it cost a reported $37.5 million).

Filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan's GLASS was in eighth place with $3.8 million on its fifth weekend. The PG-13 sequel to UNBREAKABLE and SPLIT has a domestic total of $104.4 million and a worldwide total of $234.7 million, on a reported cost of $20 million.

The R-rated horror movie THE PRODIGY was in ninth place with $3.1 million, slashed by 46% from last weekend's opening. The $6 million thriller with Taylor Schilling ("Orange Is the New Black") and a malevolent kid has a ten-day domestic total of $11 million.

At the bottom was Oscar contender GREEN BOOK with $2.7 million. The PG-13 Viggo Mortensen / Mahershala Ali road trip has traveled to $65.7 million domestic and $126.3 million worldwide on a $23 million reported cost.

Outside the chart, DC Comics superhero AQUAMAN finally submerged but its $331 million domestic total ultimately defeated the grosses for DC Extended Universe entries SUICIDE SQUAD ($325 million) and BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE ($330 million).

The animated SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE also went swinging out of sight after nine weekends in the Top 10, with the remake of crime thriller MISS BALA also disappearing.

In limited release, the new fact-based wrestling comedy-drama FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY packed a pretty good wallop with a $32k per-screen average. Critics found it to be an entertaining slobberknocker with 92% on Rotten Tomatoes (the JoBlo review is HERE).

Next weekend, the animated sequel HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD swoops into North American theaters (it has already swallowed $172 million from overseas crowds), and FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY expands wide.

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