‘Dunkirk’ conquers ‘Emoji’ and ‘Atomic Blonde’
“The Emoji Movie” survived negative reviews but couldn’t conquer “Dunkirk,” which had enough fight left to conquer the box office for a second weekend in a row.
Down only 44percent from its first weekend, director Christopher Nolan’s World War II film earned $28.1million to take first place, according to studio estimates on Sunday. “Dunkirk” has grossed $102.8million domestically to date.
Sony Pictures Animation’s “The Emoji Movie” finished second with $25.7 million. The film featuring the voices of T.J. Miller and Anna Faris as anthropomorphized emojis got pummeled by critics. It’s currently resting at a dismal 8percent on Rotten Tomatoes, but audiences still turned out. “It’s great when the critics and audiences are in sync, but in the end it comes down to: Has the film reached the intended audience?” said Adrian Smith, Sony’s president of domestic distribution. “Seeing these results, it clearly has.”
The divide between reviews and a film’s success has been a continuing topic this summer, as some films, such as “Baywatch,” capsized under poor reviews, and others like “The Emoji Movie” seemed immune. “Kids don’t care about reviews, and there is a severe lack of family films in the marketplace,” said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst for comScore.
But “The Emoji Movie” also fell at the box office throughout the weekend after a strong Friday when it placed No. 1, which Dergarabedian thinks could be due to negative word of mouth on social media. Also holding on quite well is Universal Pictures R-rated comedy “Girls Trip,” which fell a miniscule 36percent from its debut weekend to take third place with $20.1 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Final domestic figures will be released today.
1. “Dunkirk”: $28.1 million
2. “The Emoji Movie”: $25.7 million
3. “Girls Trip”: $20.1 million
4. “Atomic Blonde”: $18.6 million
5. “Spider-Man: Homecoming”: $13.5 million
6. “War for the Planet of the Apes”: $10.4 million
7. “Despicable Me 3”: $7.7 million
8. “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets”: $6.8 million
9. “Baby Driver”: $4.1 million
10. “Wonder Woman”: $3.5 million