By Lindsey Bahr, Film Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" marched confidently into the new year, raking in an additional $88.3 million over the New Year's weekend and topping the box office for a third week, according to studio estimates Sunday.
In addition to setting a new high mark in New Year's box office history, the record-busting film blew past the domestic grosses of both "Jurassic World" ($652.3 million) and "Titanic" ($658.7 million) to become the second-highest earner of all time with $740.3 million in just 19 days of release.
The top domestic film is "Avatar" with a $760.5 million lifetime domestic gross, but "Star Wars" is barreling in to surpass it soon. For context, it took "Avatar" 72 days to reach $700 million. "Star Wars" did that in 16 days.
Internationally, "Star Wars" earned $96.3 million this weekend, boosting its global total to $184.6 million. The film opens in China on Jan. 9.
While "Star Wars" might not give up its throne any time soon, films like "Daddy's Home" and "Sisters" have proven to be incredibly strong performers.
"Daddy's Home," the comedy starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, came in second with an estimated $29 million, bringing its total to $93.7 million in just two weeks. The film fell only 25 percent from its first weekend in theaters. Even more formidable is the mere 11 percent drop from the Tina Fey and Amy Poehler comedy "Sisters," which brought in $12.6 million in its third weekend for a fourth-place spot. The film has earned $61.7 million so far.
"When you look at the holding power of 'Daddy's Home' and 'Sisters,' it shows you that those films are for many people the antidote to 'Star Wars,'" said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst for box office tracker Rentrak. "The diversity of the slate that the studios created by not retreating from 'Star Wars' is helping."
Quentin Tarantino's bloody Western "The Hateful Eight," meanwhile, took third with $16.2 million in its first weekend in wide release after a strong limited debut. The three-hour epic, which cost a reported $44 million to produce, has made $29.6 million to date — just shy of what "Django Unchained" made in its first weekend.
"There is still a big audience out there for auteur-driven cinema," Dergarabedian said. "Tarantino, no matter what, is an interesting filmmaker. Film fans want to see what he's up to. It's not as big as some of his other films, but it's still doing well as it expands."
"Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip" took fifth place with $11.8 million, dropping only 10 percent from last weekend.
The year is off to a strong start overall, up 24.5 percent from last year. This New Year's weekend could even set a record if it tops the $220 million total of 2009/2010, when both "Avatar" and "Sherlock Holmes" were in theaters.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1."Star Wars: The Force Awakens," $88.3 million ($96.3 million international).
2."Daddy's Home," $29 million ($9.2 million international).
3."The Hateful Eight," $16.2 million.
4."Sisters," $12.6 million ($650,000 international).
5."Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip," $11.8 million ($10.3 million international).
6."Joy," $10.4 million ($9.3 million international).
7."The Big Short," $9 million ($2.2 million international).
8."Concussion," $8 million ($1.4 million international).
9."Point Break," $6.8 million ($6.8 million international).
10."The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2," $4.6 million ($4.4 million international).
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada), according to Rentrak:
1. "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," $96.3 million.
2. "Detective Chinatown," $45 million.
3. "Mr. Six," ''$38 million.
4. "Mojin: The Los Legend," $32 million.
5. "Nuovo progetto Di Checco Zalone," $20 million.
6. "The Peanuts Movie," $16.8 million.
7. "The Himalayas," $11 million.
8. "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip," $10.3 million.
9. "Little Door Gods," $10 million.
10. "The Good Dinosaur," $9.5 million.
Review: Writer-Directors Scott Beck and Bryan Wood’s “Heretic”
"Heretic" opens with an unusual table setter: Two young missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are discussing condoms and why some are labeled as large even though they're all pretty much a standard size. "What else do we believe because of marketing?" one asks the other.
That line will echo through the movie, a stimulating discussion of religion that emerges from a horror movie wrapper. Despite a second-half slide and feeling unbalanced, this is the rare movie that combines lots of squirting blood and elevated discussion of the ancient Egyptian god Horus.
Our two church members — played fiercely by Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East — are wandering around trying to covert souls when they knock on the door of a sweet-looking cottage. Its owner, Mr. Reed, offers a hearty "Good afternoon!" He welcomes them in, brings them drinks and promises a blueberry pie. He's also interested in learning more about the church. So far, so good.
Mr. Reed is, of course, if you've seen the poster, the baddie and he's played by Hugh Grant, who doesn't go the snarling, dead-eyed Hannibal Lecter route in "Heretic." Grant is the slightly bumbling, bashful and self-mocking character we fell in love with in "Four Weddings and a Funeral," but with a smear of menace. He gradually reveals that he actually knows quite a bit about the Mormon religion — and all religions.
"It's good to be religious," he says jauntily and promises his wife will join them soon, a requirement for the church. Homey touches in his home include a framed "Bless This Mess" needlepoint on a wall, but there are also oddities, like his lights are on a timer and there's metal in the walls and ceilings.
Writer-directors Scott Beck and Bryan Wood — who also... Read More