‘Coco,’ ‘Justice League’ repeat box office with nothing new

coco justice league repeat box office with nothing new 2017 images

In a second week of the major studios not serving anything new, “Coco” topped the box office for a third week while knowing that “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” is looming.

Disney estimated Sunday that “Coco” added $18.3 million, which would bring its domestic total to $135.5 million.

Failing to go anywhere was “Just Getting Started,” a poorly reviewed comedy released by the upstart film company Broad Green Pictures and starring Morgan Freeman, Rene Russo and Tommy Lee Jones. It cost about $22 million to make and arrived to an estimated $3.2 million in ticket sales at 2,161 locations.

Most studios have chosen to avoid competing against “The Last Jedi,” which is expected to dominate theaters and moviegoer attention when it opens on Dec. 15.

Thus, most of the charts have looked quite similar for the past few weeks. Warner Bros. and DC’s “Justice League” took second place with $9.6 million and Lionsgate’s sleeper hit “Wonder,” which has now passed $100 million, placed third with $8.5 million. Warner Bros. also crossed the $2 billion benchmark domestically Saturday — the first studio to do so in 2017.

star wars the last jedi movie coming december

This quiet period before “Star Wars” has allowed some of the indie and prestige titles to thrive in limited releases and expansions, like James Franco’s “The Disaster Artist.” The film, about the making of one of the worst films of all time, “The Room,” expanded to 840 locations in its second weekend in theaters. It managed to bring in $6.4 million, landing it in fourth place.

Greta Gerwig’s coming-of-age film “Lady Bird” also added 363 locations and placed 9th in its sixth weekend in theaters. With the $3.5 million from this weekend, “Lady Bird” has netted $22.3 million.

The darkly comedic “I, Tonya” arrived in four theaters and collected a solid $245,602. Backed by Neon and 30West, “I, Tonya” stars Margot Robbie as the disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding. “The Shape of Water” (Fox Searchlight), Guillermo Del Toro’s acclaimed art-house fantasy, took in $1.1 million in 41 locations, for a two-week total of $1.3 million.

The Winston Churchill film “The Darkest Hour” and the summer romance film “Call Me By Your Name” also continue to thrive in more limited releases as well. “The Darkest Hour,” which stars Gary Oldman as Churchill, earned $777,000 from 53 locations, and “Call Me By Your Name,” with Armie Hammer and Timothee Chalamet, took in $291,101 from nine theaters.

“This is the best time to be a moviegoer if you’re an indie fan,” said comScore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “The last few weeks have enabled films like ‘The Shape of Water,’ ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’ and now ‘I, Tonya’ to really find an audience.”

He added: “It’s great time for those films ahead of the box office death star that is ‘Star Wars.’”

Among low-budget Oscar hopefuls, “The Disaster Artist” (A24) had a very strong weekend, taking in $6.4 million in relatively limited release (840 theaters), for a two-week total of about $8 million. “The Disaster Artist,” a well-reviewed movie about a movie, stars James Franco, Dave Franco, and Seth Rogen.

The year is still down 4 percent from last year, though, which is a pit that even a juggernaut like “Star Wars” might struggle to fill. The cash influx from “The Last Jedi” will be significant, nonetheless, and if the precedent of “Rogue One” and “The Force Awakens” holds, it could range from $400 million to over $600 million of additional domestic revenue before the books close on 2017.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

coco tops box office december

1. “Coco,” $18.3 million ($55.3 million international).

2. “Justice League,” $9.6 million ($15.4 million international).

3. “Wonder,” $8.5 million ($11.4 million international).

4. “The Disaster Artist,” $6.4 million ($1 million).

5. “Thor: Ragnarok,” $6.3 million ($3.1 million international).

6. “Daddy’s Home 2,” $6 million ($11.6 million international).

7. “Murder on the Orient Express,” $5.1 million ($20.1 million international).

8. “The Star,” $3.7 million.

9. “Lady Bird,” $3.5 million.

10. “Just Getting Started,” $3.2 million.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada), according to comScore:

  1. “Coco,” $55.3 million.
  2. “Paddington 2,” $21.5 million.
  3. “Murder on the Orient Express,” $20.1 million.
  4. “Justice League,” $15.4 million.
  5. “Daddy’s Home 2,” $11.6 million.
  6. “Wonder,” $11.4 million.
  7. “A Bad Moms Christmas,” $6 million.
  8. “The Big Call,” $5.1 million.
  9. “Loving Vincent,” $4.5 million.
  10. “47 Meters Down,” $3.8 million.