20th Century Fox’sDeadpoolhas become a bigger hit than anyone imagined, taking in $285.2 million domestically and $324 million internationally for a globalbox officetotal of $609.3 million. While it has dominated its competition over the past three weeks, its reign will come to an end this weekend, according to the projections atPro.BoxOffice.com. The superhero adaptation will be going up against three newcomers, Disney’sZootopia, Focus FeaturesLondon Has Fallenand Paramount’sWhiskey Tango Foxtrot. But it’sZootopiathat will likely have no trouble taking the top spot over the March 4 weekend.
Zootopiais projected to open withe a whopping $63 million, which will be more than enough for first place.London Has Fallenis expected to open in second place with $22 million, followed byDeadpool, slipping to third place with $17.8 million andWhiskey Tango Foxtrotdebuting in fourth place with $10 million.Gods of Egyptwill likley round out the top five with $7.1 million. While this weekend will most likely endDeadpool’s reign at the top of the box office, we’ll have to wait and see if it grosses more than $1 billion throughout its theatrical run, which will be an incredible feat, since it only cost $58 million to produce.
After receiving a slew ofpositive reviews,Deadpoolshattered the record for highest grossing R-rated opening weekend of $91.7 million, held for 13 years byThe Matrix Reloaded. It also brokeFifty Shades of Grey’s February record of $85.1 million, along with its four-day President’s Day weekend record ($93 million), the record for highest-grossing R-rated comic book adaptation (300, $70.8 million), largest winter opening weekend (American Sniper, $89.2 million) and it became the biggest opening ever for 20th Century Fox, surpassing 2005’sStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sithrecord of $108.4 million.
Zootopiais already a hit with critics, with a perfect 100% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 30 reviews, but we’ll have to see if those numbers hold up over the next few days.London Has Fallendoesn’t have enough reviews for a Rotten Tomatoes score, but the comedyWhiskey Tango Foxtrotis faring well with critics, currently holding a 63% Fresh rating.Zootopiawill have the widest opening of any of these new comers with approximately 3,700 theaters, withLondon Has Fallenopening in roughly 3,200 theaters andWhiskey Tango Foxtrotarriving in 2,300 theaters.
The modern mammal metropolis ofZootopiais a city like no other. Comprised of habitat neighborhoods like ritzy Sahara Square and frigid Tundratown, it’s a melting pot where animals from every environment live together-a place where no matter what you are, from the biggest elephant to the smallest shrew, you can be anything. But when optimistic Officer Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) arrives, she discovers that being the first bunny on a police force of big, tough animals isn’t so easy. Determined to prove herself, she jumps at the opportunity to crack a case, even if it means partnering with a fast-talking, scam-artist fox, Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), to solve the mystery. The voice cast is rounded out byIdris Elba,Jenny Slate, Nate Torrence, Bonnie Hunt,Tommy Chong,J.K. SimmonsandOctavia Spencer.
London Has Fallenis the sequel to the worldwide smash hitOlympus Has Fallen, a non-stop, suspenseful action thriller that delivers high-octane excitement through a heightened sense of authenticity. The visceral intensity springs from a timely premise: after the British Prime Minister passes away, his funeral becomes a target of a terrorist organization to destroy some of the world’s most powerful leaders, devastate the British capital, and unleash a terrifying vision of the future. The only hope of stopping it rests on the shoulders of the President of the United States (Aaron Eckhart) and his formidable Secret Service head (Gerard Butler), and an English MI-6 agent (Charlotte Riley) who rightly trusts no one.Morgan Freemanalso stars as the Vice President of the United States, withAngela Bassett,Melissa LeoandRadha Mitchellreprising their roles fromOlympus Has Fallen.
Whiskey Tango Foxtrotis based on the life of journalist Kim Barker (Tina Fey) who decides to ‘shake it all up’ by taking an assignment in a war zone. There, in the midst of chaos, she finds the strength she never knew she had. Sometimes it takes saying ‘WTF’ to find the life you were always destined to have. The supporting cast includesMargot Robbie,Martin Freeman,Alfred MolinaandBilly Bob Thornton. Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (Crazy Stupid Love) from a screenplay byRobert Carlock(Saturday Night Live,30 Rock).
Rounding out the top 10 this weekend will beKung Fu Panda 3($6.4 million), Risen ($3.6 million),Eddie the Eagle($3.2 million),Triple 9($2.9 million) andHow to Be Single($2.4 million). Also opening in limited release is Broad Green Pictures’Knight of Cups, the latest fromTerrence Malick, 20th Century Fox’sThe Other Side of the Door, Magnolia’sThe Waveand Strand’sMekong Hotel.The Other Side of the Dooris expected to open in approximately 500 theaters, so we’ll have to see if there are plans for expansion in the weeks ahead.
Looking ahead to next weekend, there will be four new movies hitting theaters on March 11. Paramount’s10 Cloverfield Lane, Sony’sThe Brothers Grimsby, Lionsgate’s The Perfect Match and Focus Features’The Young Messiah. Opening in limited release is Gravitas Ventures’Barney Thomson, Magnolia’s Creative Control, Bleecker Street’sEye in the Sky, FilmRise’s Lolo, A24’s Remember and Well Go USA’s Rise of the Legend. Be sure to check back on Sunday for the box office estimates, but, until then, take a look at the projections for the weekend of March 4.
