A heroic opening for Big Hero 6!
Animated excitement was the primary attraction for audiences this weekend, putting Disney's high-tech protectors BIG HERO 6 at the top of the box office with an estimated $56.2 million!
Although it's based on an obscure Marvel comic, BIG HERO 6 didn't seem to suffer from the lack of Marvel's brand in the title (Disney's previous animated release FROZEN started with $67.3 million and ended with $1.2 billion worldwide). Critics applauded the vibrant action and character camaraderie with a 91% average on Rotten Tomatoes, and moviegoers gave it a solid 'A' CinemaScore.
In addition to getting an early head start for kids to add Baymax merchandise on their Christmas lists, the PG-rated BIG HERO 6 (reportedly budgeted at $165 million) also doesn't have any new family movie competition until PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR waddles into theaters on Thanksgiving weekend.
Director Christopher Nolan's anticipated space-travel epic INTERSTELLAR wasn't far behind in second place with a $50 million opening. The ambitious odyssey (also carrying a reported cost of $165 million) got a Wednesday jump in theaters projecting on film, hence the slightly higher total figure. And the IMAX ticket sales accounted for a record-setting 25% of INTERSTELLAR's weekend gross.
The considerable running time may have been a factor in keeping the wormhole journey from the top spot (Nolan's first effort since INSOMNIA not to open at #1), but it launched with an additional $80 million from international crowds. Critics weren't all completely on board Matthew McConaughey's starship (73% on Rotten Tomatoes), while exit polls gave it a 'B+' CinemaScore (the same grade as Nolan's hit INCEPTION).
The two new movies took a bite out of the rest of the chart, which saw some swirl in placement. David Fincher's GONE GIRL actually moved up a spot to third as it crossed $300 million worldwide, and the Bill Murray comedy ST. VINCENT hopped two notches to fifth place.
Last weekend's neck-and-neck competitors OUIJA and NIGHTCRAWLER are now a couple of slots from each other, with Jake Gyllenhaal's nocturnal crime drama dropping around 47% of business from its opening. Brad Pitt's FURY slowed to seventh gear from third, followed by Keanu Reeves' hitman JOHN WICK, Disney's ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY and the computer-animated THE BOOK OF LIFE.
Outside the chart, DRACULA UNTOLD and THE JUDGE were nudged out of sight, while Michael Keaton's BIRDMAN is still circling just outside the Top 10 (it's up to $8 million total, now on 462 screens). The Oscar-buzzed Stephen Hawking biopic THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING rolled into limited release with a smart $41k per-scren average.
Next weekend brings back Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels as the infamous morons in DUMB AND DUMBER TO, plus the drama BEYOND THE LIGHTS, while limited releases have Steve Carell getting serious with a fake nose in FOXCATCHER, "The Daily Show" host Jon Stewart making his directing debut with ROSEWATER, Jason Momoa getting hairy in WOLVES, and Tommy Lee Jones directing himself roaming the Old West in THE HOMESMAN.
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| # | MOVIE TITLE | WKND $ | TOTAL $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Hero 6 | $56.2 M | NEW |
| 2 | Interstellar | $50 M | $52.1 M |
| 3 | Gone Girl | $6.1 M | $145.4 M |
| 4 | Ouija | $6 M | $43.4 M |
| 5 | St. Vincent | $5.7 M | $27.3 M |
| 6 | Fury | $5.5 M | $69.2 M |
| 7 | Nightcrawler | $5.5 M | $19.7 M |
| 8 | John Wick | $4 M | $34.7 M |
| 9 | Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day | $3.4 M | $59.2 M |
| 10 | The Book of Life | $2.8 M | $45.2 M |