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 With two weeks to go before Luke, Leia, Han, and a phalanx of
storm troopers and droids descend on multiplexes, "The Hunger
Games: Mockingjay - Part 2" topped box office charts in an
otherwise quiet weekend. The science-fiction sequel earned $18.6
million, pushing its stateside haul to $ $227.1 million.
The weekend after Thanksgiving is historically one of the
slowest of the year and the 2015 edition didn't break with
tradition. Studios largely steered clear of offering up new
releases, with the one major exception being "Krampus," a darkly
comic horror film from Legendary and Universal that picked up a
solid $16 million. The story of a horned demon who injects a
sinister edge into a Suburban family's Christmas celebrations
stars Adam Scott and Toni Collette. It was directed by Michael
Dougherty ("Trick 'r Treat").
Without much in the way of new blood, a trio of holdovers
rounded out the top five. "Creed" rode Oscar buzz and strong
word-of-mouth to a third place finish, racking up $15.5 million
to drive the "Rocky" spin-off's domestic total to $65.1 million.
"The Good Dinosaur" finished in fourth with $15.5 million,
dropping off more than expected and falling roughly 60%. Usually
Pixar and Disney films have better holds. The animated film has
earned $75.9 million so far. And "Spectre" took fifth position
with $5.4 million. The latest James Bond adventure has earned
$184.5 million.
In a failed bid for the faith-based crowd, Freestyle Releasing
offered up "The Letters," a look at the life of Mother Teresa,
in 886 theaters, where it grossed an uninspiring $802,000.
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In limited release, the Weinstein Company opened "MacBeth" in five
theaters, where the film adaptation of the "Scottish Play" earned a
lackluster $67,868, for a per-screen average of $13,573.
Fox Searchlight's "Youth" fared slightly better, nabbing 80,000 from
four theaters for a per-location average of $20,000. The picture
centers on an aging composer (Michael Caine) at a spa and is
directed by "The Great Beauty" Oscar-winner Paolo Sorrentino.
Amazon launched its first theatrical release with Spike Lee's "Chi-Raq,"
a look at gun violence that debuted as Chicago grapples with
mounting outrage over a police shooting of Laquan McDonald. It
earned $1.2 million over 305 screens and is being distributed by
Roadside Attractions. Chicago audiences were more receptive, handing
the picture a $15,000-plus per-screen average on 22 screens.
"The numbers out of Chicago are phenomenal," said Bob Berney, Amazon
Studios' marketing and distribution head. "All of this is a
testament to the support of the local Chicago community and, across
the board, the urgency of the situation. 'Chi-Raq' has been
recognized as a call to action to stop the violence plaguing cities
across the country, not only Chicago."
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