The Force remains strong!
The beloved rebellious heroes and imperious villains continue to rule the box office as STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS again stayed on top with $41.6 million!
A current domestic total of $812 million means that director J.J. Abrams has officially shoved his way past previous box office champ James Cameron to defeat both TITANIC ($658 million) and AVATAR ($760 million), making THE FORCE AWAKENS now the highest-grossing domestic release in history.
(Yes, there is an argument to be made in regards to inflation adjustments and number of tickets sold, both of which keep the records for 1939's GONE WITH THE WIND as well as the original STAR WARS in a galaxy far, far away from THE FORCE AWAKENS. It shouldn’t diminish the achievement.)
In addition, STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS now has a worldwide total of $1.73 billion to surge past the $1.66 billion of last summer's smash JURASSIC WORLD, placing it third on the list of highest worldwide grosses behind the resilient TITANIC and AVATAR.
In second place, THE REVENANT expanded from its limited run and gathered $38 million on its first weekend in wide release. The brutal R-rated survival story from Oscar-winning BIRDMAN filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu was the fourth-highest opening for actor Leonardo DiCaprio behind SHUTTER ISLAND, THE GREAT GATSBY and INCEPTION.
Iñárritu's latest awards contender (which cost a reported $135 million to make) also had the fifth-highest opening for a wide release in January. The harsh tale of endurance and frontier vengeance is currently at an 80% critical average on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Will Ferrell/Mark Wahlberg team-up DADDY'S HOME was in third with another $15 million, putting the comedy's current total at a robust $116.3 million.
Opening in fourth was the new PG-13 horror movie THE FOREST with $13 million. Set in Japan's legendary supernatural forest, the year's first horror release (featuring "Game of Thrones" star Natalie Dormer) only cost a reported $10 million. Critics abandoned it in the woods with 12% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Tina Fey/Amy Poehler comedy SISTERS holds on in the top half of the chart after a month in release with another $7.1 million for a $74.5 million total. Quentin Tarantino's volatile Western THE HATEFUL EIGHT slipped from third to sixth place with $6.3 million, down nearly 60% from its first wide weekend despite adding 450 more screens.
Adam McKay's illuminating (if depressing) financial meltdown drama THE BIG SHORT added another 1000 screens and retained seventh place with $6.3 million. ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE ROAD CHIP followed in eighth, and David O. Russell's JOY and the Will Smith drama CONCUSSION closed out the Top 10.
Outside the chart, the POINT BREAK remake surfed into the sunset along with THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 2, and the Cate Blanchett drama CAROL expanded to 525 locations and made $1.4 million.
Next weekend has Ice Cube and Kevin Hart reuniting for RIDE ALONG 2, plus Michael Bay delivers his version of realism with 13 HOURS: THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF BENGHAZI and a computer-animated polar bear arrives in NORM OF THE NORTH.
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| # | MOVIE TITLE | WKND $ | TOTAL $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Star Wars: The Force Awakens | $41.6 M | $812 M |
| 2 | The Revenant | $38 M | $39.5 M |
| 3 | Daddy's Home | $15 M | $116.3 M |
| 4 | The Forest | $13 M | NEW |
| 5 | Sisters | $7.1 M | $74.8 M |
| 6 | The Big Short | $6.3 M | $42.8 M |
| 7 | The Hateful Eight | $6.3 M | $41.4 M |
| 8 | Alvin and the Chipmunks: Road Chip | $5.5 M | $75.6 M |
| 9 | Joy | $4.5 M | $46.5 M |
| 10 | Concussion | $3 M | $30.9 M |