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 "Avengers: Endgame" officially passed "Avengers: Infinity War"
($679 million) and "Black Panther" ($700 million) to become the
third-highest grossing movie of all time at the domestic box
office with $724 million in ticket sales. It's still the
second-biggest film ever globally with $2.48 billion, pacing
behind just "Avatar" with $2.78 billion.
However, "Endgame's" third straight box office success didn't
come without a little competition. Warner Bros. and Legendary's
"Detective Pikachu" gave Earth's Mightiest Heroes a run for
their money. The studio's live-action Pokemon adaptation pulled
in a solid $58 million when it launched in 4,202 venues.
"I'm giddy," Warner Bros.' head of domestic distribution Jeff
Goldstein, said on a call Sunday morning. "This is a big weekend
for 'Detective Pikachu.'"
Goldstein has reason for the good cheer. The impressive start
for "Detective Pikachu" signals a rare win for video-game to
big-screen adaptations. As a whole, it's a genre that's filled
with few hits. "Super Mario Bros." and "Doom" are two of the
more high-profile misfires, but even recent titles like Alicia
Vikander's "Tomb Raider" remake and Dwayne Johnson's "Rampage"
were not popular among video game enthusiasts.
"It worked because of the lighthearted nature of the film,"
Goldstein said. "You don't need to be a Pokemon fan to see the
movie."
But as competition from summer blockbuster season heats up,
"Detective Pikachu" will need to rely on solid word of mouth to
remain a draw among moviegoers. The studio is also expecting
"Detective Pikachu" to resonate overseas, where the electric
yellow creature is a fan favorite. It's certainly off to a good
start, amassing $103 million from 62 international territories
for a global weekend of $161 million. It had the biggest bow in
China ($40 million), followed by the United Kingdom ($6.6
million).
Audiences seem high on Ryan Reynolds' snarky take on the
eponymous sleuthing Pokemon, awarding the film an A- CinemaScore.
Critical reviews were mixed, averaging a 64% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Directed by Rob Letterman, "Detective Pikachu" is based on the
popular Pokemon series and the 2016 video game of the same name.
Justice Smith stars alongside an adorable animated Pikachu
(Reynolds) as the two team up to find out why the boy's dad went
missing.
Not all new releases were as fortunate. "Poms," an uplifting
comedy from STX and eOne, debuted with a paltry $5.1 million
from 2,750 theaters. Diane Keaton stars in the film about a
group of seniors who form a cheerleading squad. The movie played
to an older female audience, with women representing 75% of
opening weekend crowds, while 85% were over the age of 25.
Reviews were not kind. It carries a 29% on Rotten Tomatoes, as
well as a B+ CinemaScore.
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It's been a rough month for STX as its animated adventure "Uglydolls"
failed to pick up steam in its second weekend of release. The $45
million movie generated $4 million for a dreadful domestic haul of
$14.28 million.
Terrible reviews didn't hold back all of this weekend's newcomers.
Rebel Wilson and Anne Hathaway's "The Hustle" launched on the higher
end of expectations with $13.5 million from 3,007 screens. The
comedy, a female-led remake of "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" and
"Bedtime Stories," has a 16% on Rotten Tomatoes. Females accounted
for 70% of moviegoers, with 69% under 35.
A number of holdovers rounded out box office charts. Sony and Screen
Gems' "The Intruder" secured the No. 4 spot with $6.6 million,
bringing its North American bounty to $20.9 million. Lionsgate's
"Long Shot," a romantic comedy with Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron,
nabbed fifth place, adding $6.1 million this weekend for a domestic
tally of $19.7 million. Both films had solid holds, dropping roughly
37% from opening weekend receipts.
Fox Searchlight's "Tolkien," a biographical drama about "The Hobbit"
and "The Lord of the Rings" author J. R. R. Tolkien, debuted in
ninth place with $2 million from 1,495 locations. The film, starring
Nicholas Hoult and Lily Collins, marks the first Fox Searchlight
title to be distributed by Disney since the studio purchased Fox's
film assets for $71.3 billion.
At the indie box office, Neon's "The Biggest Little Farm" earned
$101,000 from five locations, averaging out to $20,000 per venue.
The documentary follows a couple working to develop a sustainable
farm near Los Angeles.
Even with the unprecedented run of "Avengers: Endgame," the box
office is still pacing over 9% behind last year, according to
Comscore. Popcorn season, which sees the release of a number of
blockbuster-hopefuls including "Godzilla: King of the Monsters,"
"Aladdin," and "The Secret Life of Pets 2," should continue to close
that gap.
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