‘The Meg.’
It’s not exactly Jaws but underwater thriller The Meg has outperformed pundits’ predictions in the US, China and other markets, although the Australian opening last weekend was less potent.
Directed by Jon Turteltaub, the tale of the 70-foot shark which attacks a deep-sea submersible, trapping the crew at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, has devoured $US314 million worldwide including $117 million in China and $83.7 million in the US after just two weekends,
Still, the Warner Bros./Chinese co-production will need to keep the turnstiles clicking given the reported $178 million budget.
In Australia The Meg easily won the weekend as the top 20 titles collectively rang up $11.5 million, up 6 per cent on the previous weekend according to Numero.
Among the other new entries, BlacKkKlansman fared OK in light of the US performance of Spike Lee’s political satire while Dystopian teen thriller The Darkest Minds bombed.
French comedy C’est La Vie and Indian romantic comedy Geetha Govindam had modest debuts on limited screens but the former has already made a handsome sum from festival screenings.
Starring Jason Statham, Li Bingbing, Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose, Winston Chao, Page Kennedy and Jessica McNamee, The Meg grabbed $3.4 million on 413 screens and $3.56 million including previews.
Paramount Pictures/Skydance’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout ranked second, fetching $1.8 million in its third weekend, down 49 per cent. The action adventure co-starring Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Henry Cavill, Rebecca Ferguson and Michelle Monaghan has bagged $15 million in Oz, $180.7 million in the US and $320.7 million in the rest of the world, tracking 17 per cent ahead of Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation.
Released by Universal after winning the Cannes Film Festival’s jury prize, BlacKkKlansman grossed $1.04 million on 255 screens and $1.16 million with advance screenings. That’s a fair result compared with the $10.8 million opening in the US, where it’s earned $23 million in 10 days.
Universal’s Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again advanced to $20.5 million after collecting $1 million in its fifth frame. Pro-rata, that is way ahead of the US total of $112.2 million. The worldwide haul is a lucrative $319 million.
Director Susanna Fogel’s action comedy The Spy Who Dumped Me tumbled by 52 per cent to $724,000 in its second weekend, generating a mediocre $2.78 million for Roadshow.
Fox’s The Darkest Minds took a dismal $5.8 million in its first weekend in the US, which ranked as the 11th worst opening all-time for a film opening on more than 3,000 locations.
So the Australian debut of $610,000 on 227 screens including previews for the movie starring Mandy Moore, Amandla Steinberg, Harris Dickinson and Gwendoline Christie, based on Alexandra Bracken’s YA novel, was no shock.
Word-of-mouth is sustaining Björn Runge’s The Wife, which booked $322,000 in its third weekend, easing by 30 per cent. The Icon release about a Nobel Prize-winning author (Jonathan Pryce) and his unhappy spouse (Glenn Close) has made $1.93 million.
Denzel Washington fans keep coming to Sony Pictures’ The Equalizer 2, which has mustered $8.3 million after raking in $227,000 in its fifth outing, eclipsing the original’s $6.6 million lifetime total.
Sony Pictures Animation’s Hotel Transylvania 3: A Monster Weekend has pocketed a terrific $426 million worldwide, including $272.1 million outside the US. In Oz the animated family comedy has rustled up $18.6 million after its $216,000 eighth weekend.
Disney/Pixar’s blockbuster Incredibles 2 reached $45.3 million after scoring $193,000 in its 10th frame. The Brad Bird-directed comedy has amassed $1.121 billion globally, including $594 million domestic – the ninth biggest release of all time- and $527 million international.
Directed by Parasuram, Geetha Govindam, which stars Vijay Deverakonda as a young college lecturer who dreams of marriage but falls for Geetha (Rashmika Mandanna), a level-headed woman who’s wary of strangers, drew $146,000 on 28 screens and $202,000 with previews for Tolly Movies.
Released by Madman and co-directed by Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano, C’est La Vie, the tale of an events planner whose plans for a wedding reception in a 17th century château go horribly wrong, took just $87,000 on 25 screens but an impressive $504,000 with festival screenings and previews.