Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse

UPDATED: Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse scored the highest December debut weekend for an animated film thanks to an estimated $35.4m weekend that more than doubled the number two debut of Clint Eastwood’s drama The Mule.

Annapurna scored with Barry Jenkins’ awards contender If Beale Street Could Talk, which opened at number 20 on $224,476 in four venues for an excellent $56,119 average. The James Baldwin adaptation centres on a young pregnant woman in 1970s Harlem desperately trying to get her fiancé off a wrongful charge of rape. Regina King stars alongside KiKi Layne and Stephan James.

Sony’s awards season animation hopeful Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse was produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, and explores broader representations of Spider-Man in the comic book superhero’s universe, where the central character from Brooklny is half-Puerto Rican, half-African-American. It debuted in 3,813 theatres.

Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman directed from a screenplay by Lord and Rodney Rothman from a story by Lord based on the Marvel Comics. Avi Arad, Amy Pascal, Lord, Miller and Christina Steinberg produced, and the late Stan Lee served as executive producer alongside Brian Michael Bendis and Will Allegra.

Clint Eastwood’s The Mule, about an ageing drug courier, arrived in second place on $17.5m in 2,588 sites. Universal’s fantasy adventure Mortal Engines flopped in fifth on $7.6m in 3,103 sites.

Universal’s The Grinch dropped a mere 22% and one slot to number three in its sixth session, adding $11.8m for $239.5m. Disney’s Ralph Breaks The Internet ranks fourth and fell 43% as $9.3m boosted the running total to $154.1m.

Once Upon A Deadpool, Fox’s family-friendly Deadpool 2, opened in 11th place on $2.7m from 1,566 venues. Lars von Trier’s serial killer film The House That Jack Built starring Matt Dillon opened through IFC Films at number 38 on $34,091 in 32 venues, while Nadine Labaki’s Lebanese foreign-language Oscar hopeful Capernaum - the Academy announces the shortlist on Monday – opened through SPC at number 42 on $24,988 in three sites.

The top 12 films generated $106.8m at the box office, up 37.2% on last weekend but down 60.5% against the comparable session in 2017, when Star Wars: The Last Jedi scored the third highest debut in history.

This week’s wide releases are: Warner Bros’ international sensation Aquaman starring Jason Momoa; Paramount’s Transformers spin-off Bumblebee; Universal’s drama Welcome To Marwen starring Steve Carell; and Jennifer Lopez rom-com Second Act through STX Entertainment.

Confirmed top 10 North America Dec 14-16, 2018
Film (Dist) / Conf wkd gross / Conf total to date

1 (-) Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (Sony) Sony Pictures Releasing International $35.4m –

2 (-) The Mule (Warner Bros) Warner Bros Pictures International $17.5m –

3 (2) Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch (Universal-Illumination) Universal Pictures International $11.8m $239.5m

4 (1) Ralph Breaks The Internet (Buena Vista) Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International $9.3m $154.1m

5 (-) Mortal Engines (Universal) Universal Pictures International $7.6m –

6 (3) Creed II (MGM) MGM $5.4m $104.9m

7 (5) Bohemian Rhapsody (Fox) Fox International $4.3m $180.6m

8 (6) Instant Family (Paramount) Paramount Pictures International $3.8m $60.3m

9 (4) Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald (Warner Bros) Warner Bros Pictures International $3.8m $151.8m

10 (7) Green Book (Universal) Universal Pictures International $2.8m $24.7m