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"Joker" dominated a trio of new entries with
animated comedy "The Addams Family" leading the rest of pack
with $30.3 million at 4,007 venues, topping forecasts. Will
Smith's "Gemini Man" wound up under expectations with $20.5
million at 3,642 locations. Adam DeVine's artificial
intelligence comedy "Jexi" generated little interest with $3.1
million at 2,332 screens.
"Joker" showed plenty of traction, declining only 43% from its
impressive opening of $96.2 million, the fifth-largest domestic
launch of 2019 despite worries about the negative impact of the
film's darker themes. Moviegoers have stayed strongly engaged
with a 10-day total of more than $192 million.
The psychological thriller has already become hugely profitable
for Warner Bros., which partnered with Village Roadshow and Bron
on the $55 million project. And with a solid international
performance of $351 million, "Joker" has hit $543 million at the
worldwide box office in less than two weeks.
"The Addams Family," handled through MGM's United Artists
Releasing, had been projected to earn $21 million to $27
million. The PG film, which has been marketed toward family
audiences, follows Morticia, Gomez, Wednesday, Pugsley and Uncle
Fester as they bring their love of the macabre to 21st century
life in New Jersey.
Pre-release forecasts had placed "Gemini Man" between $24
million and $29 million, but competition from "Joker" plus
downbeat reviews -- the film currently sits at 26% on Rotten
Tomatoes -- yielded a disappointing result, given the $138
million price tag for Paramount, Skydance Media, Fosun and
Alibaba. The film follows Will Smith who battles a younger clone
of himself, which director Ang Lee achieved through
hyperrealistic visuals.
"Jexi" opened at the lower end of modest expectations. Adam
DeVine stars as a man addicted to his phone, whose life changes
thanks to a digital life coach named Jexi. The movie is the last
theatrical release by CBS Films before it's absorbed into CBS
Corporation's Entertainment Group.
The top two films continue the recent trend of solid overall
performances in North America, according to Paul Dergarabedian,
senior media analyst with Comscore.
"'Joker' continues to enthrall audiences, spark conversation and
generate interest as reflected by a very modest drop of 43% in
its second weekend," he said. "'The Addams Family' found favor
with family audiences that were excited by the Halloween season
friendly and nostalgia generating animated film."
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