‘Ralph Breaks the Internet’ Heads for Box Office Three-peat
By Rebecca Rubin
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – It’s the calm before the storm. Next weekend kicks off a competitive box office race that will carry through the end of the year. Until then, it’s more Thanksgiving leftovers for all.
With no fresh wide releases hitting domestic theaters, Disney’s “Ralph Breaks the Internet” should retain its No. 1 spot in North America for the third weekend in a row. If the animated sequel is able to successfully fend off the competition, it will be only the fourth movie released this year to top the box office for three weeks straight. “Black Panther,” “Crazy Rich Asians,” and “Solo: A Star Wars Story” are the other titles to hold that distinction.
“” just crossed $200 million globally, including a Stateside haul of $120 million. It could bring in between $10 million and $12 million if it sees a similar decline as its sophomore outing. Holdovers “Creed II” and “The Grinch” are also expected to entice family crowds and stay in the top five at the domestic market. “,” the eighth entry in the “Rocky Balboa” film series, has generated $95.5 million worldwide in two weeks of release, while animated Dr. Seuss adaptation “The Grinch” has amassed $250 million to date.
While no new movies are hitting screens, Universal is re-releasing “Schindler’s List” in honor of its 25th anniversary. The film will run for a one-week theatrical engagement starting Friday in over 1,000 North American venues. When it launched in 1993, “Schindler’s List” earned a massive $320 million at the worldwide box office and picked up seven Oscars, including best picture and best director for Steven Spielberg. It tells the true story of German businessman Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), who saved the lives of over a thousand Jews during the Holocaust. Ahead of Friday’s release, the USC Shoah Foundation is coordinating free educational screenings of the film in select locations for nearly 10,000 high school students.
With studios largely sitting this weekend out, a flurry of awards hopefuls are getting their start at the specialty box office. Roadside Attractions is debuting “Ben Is Back,” a drama that follows a mother (Julia Roberts) who attempts to help her addict son (Lucas Hedges) after he returns home from rehab. Lucas Hedges father, Peter Hedges, directed the movie, which garnered solid reviews after its Toronto premiere.
Focus Features has historical drama “Mary Queen of Scots” starring Saoirse Ronan as the eponymous royal and Margot Robbie as her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. It had its world premiere at AFI Fest and chronicles the rivalry between their two countries as after Scotland and England fall under the rule of Elizabeth I. Rounding out the weekend is Neon’s “Vox Lux.” Natalie Portman has received raves for her performance of a pop star/ mother who struggles to balance her controversial career and a teenage daughter after an act of violence demands her attention.
Things should pick up at multiplexes next weekend when “Spider-Verse: Into the Spider-Verse,” “The Mule,” and “Mortal Engines” hit theaters. The following frame, “Mary Poppins Returns,” “Aquaman,” and “Bumblebee” enter the fray.
