Ride Along 2 shoots to #1!
Ice Cube and Kevin Hart's crimefighting reunion snatched the crown from Kylo Ren this weekend to win the top spot as RIDE ALONG 2 opened with an estimated $34 million!
The PG-13 comedy sequel from director Tim Story couldn't match the start of his surprise hit original, which opened on this same weekend in 2014 to $41.5 million (the second-highest January opening ever). But it was still enough to finally take the throne from STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS, which sat on top and crushed records for four weekends.
Propelled by Golden Globe wins and Oscar nominations, THE REVENANT remained in second place with $29.5 million. That's a drop of only 25% from its first weekend in wide release. The pricey and bloody Leonardo DiCaprio period endurance test is at a domestic total of $87.6 million after ten days in 3500 locations, and could end up being one of the actor's highest grossing efforts.
On its fifth weekend in theaters, STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS slipped to third place with $25.1 million. The seventh chapter of the beloved space saga has a domestic total of $851 million and has hurtled past $1 billion just from international audiences, with its sights now targeting the $2.1 billion worldwide total of TITANIC.
In fourth place was Michael Bay's new action-thriller 13 HOURS: THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF BENGHAZI with $16 million, which marks the third-lowest opening for the explosive filmmaker besides BAD BOYS ($15.5 million) and THE ISLAND ($12.4 million).
The R-rated fact-based account of the hot-button predicament cost a reported $50 million, a reasonable sum for a Bay movie. With an almost-acceptable 59% critical average on Rotten Tomatoes, it's the director's second-best reviewed release (THE ROCK scored 66%).
The Will Ferrell/Mark Wahlberg comedy DADDY'S HOME was in fifth with $9.3 million for an impressive domestic total of $129.2 million since its release on Christmas Day, passing the $119 million total of their previous comedic collaboration THE OTHER GUYS.
The new computer-animated family feature NORM OF THE NORTH opened in sixth with $6.6 million. The polar bear adventure currently holds the dubious honor of being the year's first release to receive a 0% average on Rotten Tomatoes.
The PG-13 horror movie THE FOREST was chopped down to seventh with $5.7 million, a loss of 54% from last week's fourth place opening. The Natalie Dormer supernatural thriller has a 10-day domestic total of $21.1 million on a reported budget of $10 million.
Adam McKay's award-nominated financial crisis drama THE BIG SHORT was in eighth with $5.2 million for a $50.5 million domestic total. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler's tenacious comedy SISTERS was in ninth, and Quentin Tarantino's THE HATEFUL EIGHT took the bottom slot with a $47.5 million domestic total.
Outside the chart, David O. Russell's JOY disappeared with Will Smith's CONCUSSION and ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE ROAD CHIP. Academy-acknowledged dramas BROOKLYN, CAROL and SPOTLIGHT took advantage of the attention to add several hundred screens, taking in an average of $1.5 million each.
Next weekend has Chloe Moretz in the young-adult sci-fi adaptation THE 5TH WAVE, Robert De Niro and Zac Efron get together for the R-rated comedy DIRTY GRANDPA, and a kid gives supernatural chills in THE BOY.
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| # | MOVIE TITLE | WKND $ | TOTAL $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ride Along 2 | $34 M | NEW |
| 2 | The Revenant | $29.5 M | $87.6 M |
| 3 | Star Wars: The Force Awakens | $25.1 M | $851 M |
| 4 | 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi | $16 M | NEW |
| 5 | Daddy's Home | $9.3 M | $129.2 M |
| 6 | The Forest | $5.7 M | $21.1 M |
| 7 | Norm of the North | $6.6 M | NEW |
| 8 | The Big Short | $5.2 M | $50.5 M |
| 9 | Sisters | $4.4 M | $81.8 M |
| 10 | The Hateful Eight | $3.4 M | $47.5 M |