‘Ralph’ repeats as No. 1 at box office
NEW YORK — On a typically sleepy post-Thanksgiving weekend in movie theaters, leftovers led the box office and Disney’s “Ralph Breaks the Internet” repeated as No. 1 with $25.8 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The “Wreck-It Ralph” sequel dropped steeply (54 percent) after nearly setting a Thanksgiving record last weekend. But with only one new film in wide release, nothing came close to “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” which sends John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman’s video-game characters into cyberspace. In 11 days of release, the $175 million film has cleared $207 million worldwide.
Still going strong in its fourth week of release, Universal’s “The Grinch” came in second with $17.7 million in ticket sales. “The Grinch,” the Illumination animated production with Benedict Cumberbatch as the Christmas curmudgeon,
surpassed $200 million domestically and edged in front of last week’s No. 2 film, the “Rocky” sequel “Creed II.”
Like “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” MGM’s boxing drama also slid sizably after a big holiday opening, declining
53 percent. “Creed II,” with Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Creed, took in $16.8 million in its second weekend. It has thus far grossed $81.2 million on a $50 million budget.
The week’s lone new wide release, the Sony Screen Gems horror film “The Possession of Hannah Grace,” opened modestly with $6.5 million. Orion Picture’s “Anna and the Apocalypse,” a well-reviewed indie mash-up — your standard zombie-comedy-musical — debuted in five theaters, with about $50,000 in ticket sales.
“Crazy Rich Asians,” Warner Bros.’ breakout summer hit, was a dud in China. Warner Bros. said the acclaimed romantic comedy, which earned $173 million domestically, debuted in China with just $1.2 million. John M. Chu’s Singapore-set film, which opened Aug. 14 in the U.S., took months to secure a release date in China, a delay some have attributed to the film’s depiction of extremely wealthy Chinese Singaporeans.
“Crazy Rich Asians” was a hit at the Singapore box office, but, like most comedies, it hasn’t been as much a sensation abroad as it was in the U.S.; it’s earned $64 million overseas. The film’s performance in China, though, is potentially worrisome for Warner Bros.