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 The superhero adventure picked up $43 million to bring its
domestic total to $153 million. DreamWorks Animation's "Trolls,"
another holdover, came in second, earning $35 million to bring
its stateside haul to $94 million after two weeks of release.
"Arrival" took third, easily outpacing pre-release tracking with
a debut of $24 million. Heading into the weekend, the film was
expected to launch to $16 million. "Arrival" was directed by
Denis Villeneuve, who has built a steady following with the
likes of "Prisoners" and "Sicario." It focuses on a linguist
(Amy Adams) who is recruited to try to communicate with alien
visitors. Paramount picked up domestic rights to the film for
$20 million. FilmNation, Lava Bear and 21 Laps financed the $47
million production.
"Arrival's" strong box office result is a shot in the arm for
Paramount, which has weathered a string of flops such as "Zoolander
2," "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows," and
"Ben-Hur." The instability starts at the top. Viacom,
Paramount's corporate parent, was engulfed in an internecine war
for much of the past year, as Shari Redstone, the daughter of
founder Sumner Redstone, successfully worked to oust Philippe
Dauman from his perch as the company's CEO. Paramount chief Brad
Grey is trying to convince Shari Redstone that he has the vision
to lead the company out of its doldrums, and has pointed to
films like "Arrival" as proof that the studio's slate is
improving.
Universal's "Almost Christmas" debuted to a solid $15.6 million
across 2,376 locations for a fourth place finish. The comedy
about a dysfunctional family gathering for the holidays after
their mother dies was economical to produce and carries a $17
million budget. It stars Danny Glover, Gabrielle Union, Kimberly
Elise, and Jessie Usher.
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Liongate's "Hacksaw Ridge" rounded out the top five, earning $10.8
million to bring the war drama's total to $32.3 million.
Among the weekend's other wide releases, EuropaCorp's "Shut In"
stumbled out of the gate, kicking off to a paltry $3.7 million from
2,058 locations.
Sony bowed "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk" on two screens where it
made $120,300. The Iraq War drama is shot at an accelerated
framerate, but few theaters will be able to exhibit the film at that
speed. The limited release did exhibit the picture in the immersive
format that director Ang Lee has pushed theaters to incorporate. It
was screened in 4K, 3D, and at 120 frames per second. "Billy Lynn's
Long Halftime Walk" will expand next weekend on to more than 800
theaters.
In limited release, Sony Pictures Classics debuted "Elle" on two
screens where it earned $56,012. The thriller stars Isabelle Huppert
as a woman who plots revenge against the man who raped her.
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