Weekend Box Office Report: November 9-11, 2018

The Grinch steals first place!

Dr. Seuss' cranky holiday hater crept into theaters this weekend and swiped the top spot at the box office as THE GRINCH opened with an estimated $66 million!

The new computer-animated version of the nefarious green grump and his loyal pooch had a stronger start than the $55 million opening of Ron Howard's live-action adaptation HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS back in 2000 (that Jim Carrey showcase ended with $260 million domestic).

Beginning its theatrical theft of Christmas over a month and a half before the actual holiday, the PG-rated update from Illumination Entertainment (DESPICABLE ME) actually came out a bit lower than the studio's previous Seuss movie THE LORAX, which opened to $70.2 million in March of 2012.

The latest variation of the infamous mean one (perhaps best known from the classic Chuck Jones 1966 holiday TV special) cost a reported $75 million, and swiped an additional $12.7 million overseas for a worldwide weekend of $78.7 million.

For the most part, critics thought the rehash was as cuddly as a cactus and as charming as an eel, giving the movie a 55% average on Rotten Tomatoes (the JoBlo review is HERE).

After taking center stage last weekend, BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY moved to second with $30.8 million and dropped only 40% of business from its first place opening.

The PG-13 biopic of music group Queen and its magnetic frontman Freddie Mercury (played by Rami Malek) has already rocked past $100 million domestic in ten days.

The $52 million drama from director Bryan Singer (and Dexter Fletcher, unofficially) has also been dynamite with a laser beam all around the globe, bringing its worldwide total to $285.2 million.

In third place was the new R-rated thriller OVERLORD with an opening of $10.1 million.

Produced by J.J. Abrams, the non-CLOVERFIELD action-horror movie with Wyatt Russell leading a group of WWII soldiers cost a reported $38 million.

Most critics saluted the G.I.s battling Nazi nightmares over Veteran's Day weekend, giving the gory operation an 81% average on Rotten Tomatoes.

Disney's holiday fairy tale THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS was in fourth place with $9.5 million, losing 53% from its opening last weekend for a ten-day domestic total of $35.2 million.

The live-action Christmas fantasy directed by Lasse Hallstrom (and completed by Joe Johnston) has a worldwide total of $96.6 million, on a reported cost of $120 million.

Opening in fifth place was the R-rated thriller THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER'S WEB with $8 million.

The new story of hacker vigilante Lisbeth Salander, with "The Crown" star Claire Foy taking over the role previously portrayed by Noomi Rapace and Rooney Mara, had a lower start than the $12.7 million opening of director David Fincher's 2011 adaptation of the character in THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (which went on to $102 million domestic and $232 million worldwide).

Based on the book by David Lagercrantz (who took over the Dragon Tattoo novel series after late author Stieg Larsson), the crime drama from EVIL DEAD remake director Fede Alvarez cost a reported $38 million.

Critics weren't particularly excited for the return of the leather-clad heroine, giving the movie a 43% average on Rotten Tomatoes. The JoBlo review can be found HERE.

The R-rated Bradley Cooper / Lady Gaga musical romance A STAR IS BORN has finally started to lose its luster after six weekends in theaters, with $8 million in sixth place for a domestic total of $178 million. The $36 million remake (directed by Cooper) now has a worldwide domestic total of $322 million.

In seventh place was writer-director Tyler Perry's NOBODY'S FOOL with $6.5 million, down by 52% from last weekend's opening. The R-rated Tiffany Haddish comedy has a ten-day domestic total of $24.2 million on a reported $19 million cost.

Comic book adaptation VENOM continued fighting/biting crime in eighth place with $4.8 million. The PG-13 launch of Sony's own planned non-Spider-Man Marvel universe is now up to $206.2 million, overtaking the $202 domestic finish of the studio's own THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 in 2014.

Additionally, the Tom Hardy vehicle's current $673 million worldwide total has pushed it past the global finishes of other Marvel superhero movies including THOR: THE DARK WORLD ($644 million), IRON MAN ($585 million) and IRON MAN 2 ($623 million), ANT-MAN AND THE WASP ($622 million), LOGAN ($619 million) and X-MEN: APOCALYPSE ($543 million).

In ninth place was HALLOWEEN with $3.8 million, taking the reunion of slasher Michael Myers and Jamie Lee Curtis to $156.8 million domestic after four weekends. The R-rated sequel from director David Gordon Green has a domestic total of $156.8 million and a worldwide total of $245.5 million, on a reported $10 million budget.

Acclaimed teen drama THE HATE U GIVE was hanging onto the bottom with $2 million, reaching a a domestic total of $26.7 million (on a reported $23 million cost).

Outside the chart, Yeti comedy SMALLFOOT went back into hiding as sequel GOOSEBUMPS 2: HAUNTED HALLOWEEN was scared away and the Gerard Butler / Gary Oldman submarine thriller HUNTER KILLER sank out of sight.

In limited release, the fact-based Hugh Jackman political drama THE FRONT RUNNER didn't make much of an impression with a $14k per-screen average.

Director Jason Reitman's depiction of presidential nominee Gary Hart's rise and fall was only moderately accepted by critics, who gave it a 62% average on Rotten Tomatoes (the JoBlo review is HERE).

Next weekend offers the Harry Potter spinoff sequel FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD, Viola Davis leads a heist in WIDOWS, and Mark Wahlberg finds himself with an INSTANT FAMILY.

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