The RedState Box Office Report

Recovering from the worst weekend of the year theaters had to lube the turnstiles as they enjoyed a flurry of new releases to pump up the box office. Well, most of them did, with one major dud serving as the exception.

The holiday rush has begun, and will only explode next week as “Aquaman” arrives. The waterlogged hero has already earned $200 globally, setting a few records in China in the process. With some favorable early reviews it may serve as that rare DC success story in theaters. Meanwhile another hero slings in this week, along with some strong holdovers.

1. SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE – $35.4m
An entirely new interpretation of the famed Marvel character carries a new storyline and a new diverse character to go with an animated presentation. A little surprise it was not a bit stronger as most everyone found favor with this new entrant. It sports a massive 97% critical approval on Rotten Tomatoes, the CinemaScore is a sterling “A+”, and the PostTrack sports a heavy 80% “Definite Recommend”. Those are the kind of metrics that lead to a long run and they will be helpful when facing off with another massive hero next week.

2. THE MULE – $17.8m
Clint Eastwood returns with a possible dramatic awards bid drama he directs and stars in, as a geriatric who runs drugs. It came in with a strong return here for Eastwood, off of a $50 million budget. It has some audience support with a CinemaScore grade of “A-”, so if any nominations occur it could end up legging out to a profit.

3. DR. SEUSS’ THE GRINCH – $11.58m
Continuing to just be a strong impact week after week, it has earned well over a 3X multiple off its strong debut. $240 million domestic and $375 million globally is quite better than originally projected.

4. RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET – $9.58m
After three straight weeks as the top film Disney’s Thanksgiving effort tumbles a mild -40% in week #4. It has earned its share of clicks, if not as much traffic as “The Grinch”.

5. MORTAL ENGINES – $7.5m
A dismal return for an effects-laden expensive action piece. It serves as another young adult dystopian misfire, as these failures have been stacking u since studios tried to capture the magic of “The Hunger Games”. Audiences were stymied by the storyline of teens battling…something, in the future. The confusion was not helped by adding in there is a massive city on wheels that travels around. With a price tag of over $100 million, before promotional costs, to only generate a single-digit return is a disaster for Universal.

6. CREED 2 – $5.39m
The well respected sequel has been inching closer to doing better than the original. It stands at $104 million, against $109 million from the first match.

7. BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY – $4.12m
After seven weeks it has finally left the top-5. It still is playing in over 2,200 screens. Not just a hit here, it has made a boggling $600 million globally now.

8. INSTANT FAMILY – $3.72m
Still quietly lingering this modest hit has just crossed the $60 million total.

9. FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDElWALD – $3.65m
It has just now made it over the $150 million milestone, but is a bit of a domestic disappointment. Globally it has been a hit however, taking in an additional $425 million overseas.

10. GREEN BOOK – $2.78m
The awards darling drama has spent a full month now in the top-10, making back its budget. It should make it to profitability in the long run.

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