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 The two villains had been in a close race for first place, but
Sunday estimates show "Joker" will walk away victorious with
$18.9 million in ticket sales. Those rankings could change
Monday morning after final tallies are reported since
"Maleficent 2" is close behind with $18.5 million.
The surprise (and non-consecutive) win highlights the impressive
endurance of "Joker," which is only the third movie this year --
following Universal's "Glass" and Disney's "Avengers: Endgame"
-- to secure in first place during three weekends. "Joker"
recently became the most successful R-rated movie in history,
collecting $849 million worldwide. Joaquin Phoenix's gritty take
on Batman's infamous nemesis has generated $277 million in North
America and $571 million at the international box office.
Since debuting last No. 1 to a disappointing $36 million,
Angelina Jolie's "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil" has generated a
lackluster $65 million at the domestic box office. The dark
fantasy sequel continues to be a bigger player overseas, where
it pulled in another $64.3 million for an international haul of
$228 million. Globally, the "Maleficent" follow-up is nearing
the $300 million mark.
STX's horror thriller "Countdown" had the strongest start among
new offerings, placing fifth with $9 million from 2,675 venues.
The PG-13 film, about a nurse who downloads an app that predicts
when a person is going to die, cost $6.5 million.
Sony's R-rated action drama "Black and Blue" launched at No. 6
with $8 million from 2,062 theaters. Directed by Deon Taylor,
the $12 million film follows a rookie cop (Naomie Harris) who
inadvertently captures the murder of a young drug dealer on her
body cam.
Behind-the-scenes turmoil appeared far more interesting than the
movie itself for this weekend's final newcomer, "The Current
War." The historical drama arrived in theaters two years after
Harvey Weinstein premiered at the 2017 Toronto Film Festival.
"The Current War" was shelved and sold after sexual abuse
allegations were leveled against Weinstein and his company
shuttered. David Glasser, the former COO of The Weinstein
Company, released the film through his 101 Studios banner. "The
Current War" earned a dismal $2.7 million from 1,022 screens,
marking one of the lowest openings for a nationwide release.
Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, "The Current War" depicts a
tense battle between electricity giants Thomas Edison (Benedict
Cumberbatch) and George Westinghouse (Michael Shannon) -- who
teams up with Nikola Tesla (Nicholas Hoult) -- as the men
determine whose electrical system will power the modern world.
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Despite playing in half the amount of theaters, A24's "The
Lighthouse" landed at No. 8 and beat "The Current War" on box office
charts. The black-and-white psychological thriller -- starring
Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe -- collected $3 million from 586
locations in its second outing. "The Lighthouse" has made $3.6
million to date.
Another awards contender that continues to impress is Neon's
"Parasite," a dark social satire from director Bong Joon ho. In its
third frame, "Parasite" made $1.8 million from just 189 theaters,
averaging a strong $14,107 per location. To date, the movie has
earned $4.1 million in North America.
Warner Bros. also unveiled the Bruce Springsteen concert film
"Western Stars" in 532 theaters. Despite positive reviews, the
documentary failed to crack the top 20, opening to $560,000.
Combined with Fathom Events' preview screenings, "Western Stars" has
made $1 million.
Also in limited release, Saban Films and Kevin Smith's "Jay & Silent
Bob Reboot" pulled in $219,397 from 17 screens for a domestic tally
of $1.5 million.
MGM's animated comedy "The Addams Family" came in third place with
$11.7 million, boosting its domestic tally to $72.8 million and
$83.9 million globally. In fourth, Sony's "Zombieland: Double Tap"
brought in $11.6 million for a North American haul of $47 million.
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