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 Directed by James Mangold and starring Christian Bale and Matt
Damon, "Ford v Ferrari" debuted ahead of expectations, thanks to
strong word-of-mouth from moviegoers. However, those ticket
sales weren't enough to offset disappointing starts from fellow
high-profile newcomers, "Charlie's Angels" and "The Good Liar,"
pushing the domestic box office down over 6% from last year,
according to Comscore.
Sony's action comedy "Charlie's Angels" sputtered out of the
gate with an uninspiring $8.6 million, landing in third place
behind Lionsgate's war drama "Midway" ($8.75 million) and just
ahead of Paramount's family film "Playing With Fire" ($8.5
million). Meanwhile, Warner Bros.' thriller "The Good Liar"
barely cracked the top 10, collecting just $5.6 million from
2,439 theaters.
"Ford v Ferrari" enticed a mostly older male crowd: Men
accounted for 62% of ticket buyers, while nearly 80% were over
the age of 25. Audiences awarded the film with a rare A+
CinemaScore, a sign that the racing drama should have a long
life in theaters. Produced by Chernin Entertainment, the movie
carries a $100 million price tag and will need a boost from
international moviegoers to turn a profit. "Ford v Ferrari"
launched with $21 million at the foreign box office this
weekend, lifting its global tally to $52.4 million.
"Ford v Ferrari" tells the true story of the automotive team at
Ford, led by designer Carroll Shelby (Damon) and his British
driver Ken Miles (Bale), as they build a race car attempting to
beat the legendary Ferrari in the prestigious Le Mans race.
"Charlie's Angels" arrived well behind domestic box office
projections (the studio was anticipating a start closer to $13
million) and will now rely on overseas audiences to help recoup
its $48 million production budget. Elizabeth Banks wrote and
directed "Charlie's Angels" -- starring Kristen Stewart, Naomi
Scott and Ella Balinska -- the third big-screen adaptation of
the classic action series. The newest chapter sees the Angels
going global to halt the spread of a dangerous new technology
that could threaten the world. Banks portrays one of the many
Bosleys, while Sam Claflin, Patrick Stewart and Noah Centineo
joined the cast.
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"The Good Liar" bowed in eighth place, failing to be much of a draw
among its core audience. Over 60% of moviegoers were above 50 years
old, a demographic that doesn't routinely turn up in force on
opening weekend. But mediocre reviews, along with a B CinemaScore,
doesn't bode well for its future in multiplexes. Directed by Bill
Condon and starring Ian Mckellen as a con artist who targets a
wealthy widow (Hellen Mirren), "The Good Liar" is the latest
literary adaptation from Warner Bros. that hasn't been able to fill
seats in theaters. In recent weeks, "The Goldfinch," "Motherless
Brooklyn" and "Doctor Sleep" were all major misfires. "Doctor Sleep"
suffered a massive 57% decline in its second weekend, pulling in
$6.1 million for a domestic total of $25 million.
It's not all bad news on the Warner Bros. lot. This weekend, "Joker"
officially became the first R-rated movie in history to gross over
$1 billion at the global box office. All the more impressive, it's
only the third movie ever to reach that milestone without a release
in China, one of the world's biggest moviegoing markets.
At the specialty box office, A24's "Waves" kicked off with $144,562
from four venues in New York and Los Angeles, equating to a strong
$36,140 per location. Trey Edward Shults wrote and directed the
acclaimed drama about a South Florida family coming together in the
face of tragedy. The studio will continue to slowly roll out the
film nationwide into the holiday season.
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