‘Joker,’ ‘Maleficent’ tussle at the top
A pair of holdovers had a photo finish this weekend, as “Joker” and “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” jockeyed for first place at the box office.
Estimates, which sometimes change on Mondays when final counts are done, gave “Joker” a slight edge: The Warner Bros. villain tale was estimated to make $18.9 million in domestic sales, while Disney’s fantasy sequel “Maleficent” was pegged at around $18.5 million.
The fact that the two movies are in such close competition is a testament to the success of “Joker,” which has performed well since it opened Oct. 4.
According to Disney, “Maleficent,” which opened the previous weekend to about $9 million below already modest prerelease projections, made an additional $64.3 million overseas Friday through Sunday. Warner Bros. said “Joker” picked up about $47.8 million in international sales during that period.
Both movies reimagine well-known villains.
Also neck and neck this weekend: “The Addams Family,” an animated family movie distributed in the U.S. by United Artists Releasing, was estimated to make $11.7 million in domestic sales, and “Zombieland 2: Double Tap,” a comedy from Sony Pictures, was likely to bring in around $11.6 million this weekend, according to comScore, which compiles box office data. Either movie could land in third place when final counts are in.
The only newcomer in the top five was STX Entertainment’s “Countdown,” a horror movie about a smartphone app that supposedly can predict when people will die. It opened to about $9 million in ticket sales this weekend.
“Black and Blue,” another newcomer, landed in sixth place, with around $8.3 million in ticket sales. That movie, a thriller distributed by Screen Gems, stars Naomie Harris as a rookie cop in New Orleans.
“The Current War,” a drama about the rivalry between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse, fared less well. Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon and starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Shannon, it made just $2.7 million.