1. The LEGO Batman Movie- $34.2M/$98.7M
While Warner Bros. continues to have issues with their live-action Batman movie, the LEGO version is performing quite well. For the second week in a row The LEGO Batman Movie clung to the top spot with $34M over the President's Day weekend, for $98.7M domestic and $170M worldwide.
2. Fifty Shades Darker- $20.9M/$89.6M
Refusing to be tied down was sequel Fifty Shades Darker, which earned $20M in its second weekend for an $89M total. As stated last week, this one was for the die-hards since the novelty and curiosity of the first movie is long gone, but these numbers show the fanbase is not only large, but eager for more. Worldwide it's doing even better with $276M overall, and with one movie left to go in the modestly-priced franchise this is proving to be a huge success. No way Universal just lets it end after one more movie. Just sayin'.
3. The Great Wall (review)- $18M
Well, we kinda knew this would be the case, didn't we? The Great Wall may feature Matt Damon as the face and biggest star by far, but it's essentially a Chinese production, and at $150M one of the biggest ever. So it's no surprise to have it open weak over here with $18M, an undeniable disaster, but do huge internationally with an additional $244M, mostly from China. Of course, it was only here that it faced accusations of "whitewashing", absurd to anyone who actually saw the movie. But the damage may have been done in the people who won't even consider giving a solid film a chance.
4. John Wick: Chapter Two- $16.5M/$58.6M
After only two weeks John Wick: Chapter Two has knocked out the entire domestic haul of its predecessor. The genuine energy for these movies is going to carry it a long way, at least through 'Chapter 3'.
5. Fist Fight (review) - $12M
The usually-reliable Ice Cube hit nothing but wind as Fist Fight opened with only $12M. You'd think more people would want to pay to see him beat the crap out of Pacific Rim's Charlie Day, but perhaps they find him so annoying it wasn't worth the effort. Since it only cost $25M this won't be a complete fail but maybe we see Cube stick to more bankable co-stars, like Kevin Hart.
6. Hidden Figures- $7.1M/$142.5M
7. Split- $7M/$123.6M
8. A Dog's Purpose- $5.5M/$50.6M
9. La La Land- $4.5M/$133.5M
10. A Cure for Wellness (review)- $4.2M
I'm personally disappointed in the weak $4.2M opening for Gore Verbinski's ambitious mood-horror, A Cure for Wellness. There was little chance of it being a hit, though. It's not the kind of low-budget scarer that packs audiences for a fun weekend evening. Some serious investment (like 2 1/2 hours worth) is needed in this one and with middling reviews and Dane DeHaan as the only notable name, the recipe for success just wasn't there.
