Ocean’s 8 opens with series-best US$41.5M

Ocean’s 8, the female-fronted overhaul of the starry heist franchise, opened with an estimated US$41.5 million at the box office, taking the weekend’s top spot from the fast-falling Solo: A Star Wars Story.

At a lower price point and in less fanboy-guarded franchise, Ocean’s 8 — despite hohum reviews — found nothing like the stormy reception than the female-led Ghostbusters reboot did on the same weekend two years ago.

Made for approximately US$70 million, Ocean’s 8 and its cast featuring Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett and Anne Hathaway, set an opening-weekend best for the franchise, not accounting for inflation. The three previous Ocean’s films — starring Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Matt Damon, and based on the 1960 original Ocean’s 11, with Frank Sinatra — all debuted with between US$36-39 million in the last decade.

Ocean’s 8, also starring Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina, Rihanna and Helena Bonham Carter, drew a largely female audience — 69 per cent — for a result that surpassed expectations.

“We thought we’d come in in the $35-40 (million) range,” said Warner Bros. distribution chief Jeff Goldstein. “No. 1, it’s fun. No. 2, it hits an underserved audience. Unfortunately, there is just a lack of stories that are aimed right at women.”

Yet the weekend’s three new wide releases were all female fronted.

The horror thriller Hereditary, starring Toni Collette, debuted with $13 million, setting a new company record for A24, the indie distributor behind releases like The Witch and Moonlight. The feature-film directing debut of Ari Aster, Hereditary has received rave reviews and been hailed as the year’s scariest movie since its debut at the Sundance Film Festival. Audiences gave Hereditary — about a family cursed after the death of its matriarch — a D-plus Cinemascore.

Less successful was Hotel Artemis, starring Jodie Foster. The Global Road release, also starring Sterling K. Brown, Dave Bautista and Charlie Day, flopped with $3.2 million in 2,407 theatres. Set in a near-future Los Angeles, Hotel Artemis is about a members-only hospital for criminals.

Coming between more massive blockbusters like the recent Solo and the upcoming Incredibles 2 and Jurassic World, the weekend was down about 20 per cent from last year, according to comscore, when Wonder Woman was setting box-office records. But some of the story was still the same.

“There’s a lot of womenpowered revenue at the box office in the heat of the summer season,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comscore. “Films featuring female leads are killing it at the box office, but that’s been going on for quite a while.”

Meanwhile, the troubled Solo slid to second place with US$15.2 million on its third weekend. It has now grossed US$176.1 million, well off its expected pace.