USA TODAY International Edition
‘ Lego Batman’ dominates ‘ Fifty Shades Darker’
‘ John Wick’ sequel also kills it at diverse box office weekend
LOS ANGELES Moviegoers could choose violence, sex or familyfriendly fare this weekend with three diverse new offerings that all drew healthy numbers at the box office.
The Lego Batman Movie took the top spot with $ 55.6 million, dominating Fifty Shades Darker, which attracted $ 46.8 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The spinoff of 2014' s Lego Movie benefited from good reviews and a lack of competition in the family space, which is expected to help it maintain its pace going into the three- day President's Day weekend, when many kids are out of school.
A whopping 48% of opening weekend moviegoers were under 25. It also bodes well for the next Lego spinoff, The Lego Ninjago Movie, in theaters Sept. 22
Audiences were slightly less curious to catch up with the exploits of Christian Grey ( played by Jamie Dornan) and Anastasia Steele ( Dakota Johnson) the second time around. The sequel didn't compare to Fifty Shades of Grey's $ 85.2 million debut in 2015.
Nick Carpou, Universal Pictures' president of domestic theatrical distribution, noted that the first movie adapted from the best- selling books made its debut in a "perfect storm." Valentine's Day fell on a Saturday in 2015, making the movie a date- night destination. This year, the holiday lands on a Tuesday.
"This is a great start," says Carpou. "The story will be told through the first part of this week."
The other R- rated sequel in theaters this weekend, John Wick: Chapter 2, took third place. With $ 30 million, it more than doubled the debut of the original. The Keanu Reeves hit- man flick became a sleeper hit on the small screen, and that goodwill helped bolster interest in the follow- up, which is also getting strong reviews.
"People really love its unapologetic violence," says Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comScore.
Rounding out the top five were holdovers Split, the M. Night Shyamalan psychological thriller that added another $ 9.3 million for $ 112.3 million total, and Oscar contender Hidden Figures, which earned $ 8 million, boosting its to- tal to $ 131.5 million.
"The tried and true brands are what people really gravitated to this weekend," Dergarabedian says. "Each film drew their own audience without harming the other films. This was a perfectly programmed weekend."