The weekend box office continued to show distressingly small grosses this week as Monster Hunter came out on top with a paltry $2.2 million.
The video game adaptation didn’t have much new competition, as more theaters have recently closed due to the pandemic, including Boston theaters and many in Portland, Oregon, according to Deadline.
Coming on the horizon is the Christmas day release of Wonder Woman 1984 in theaters and on the HBO Max streaming service, which may give a boost to struggling cinemas.
Limping along: The Milla Jovovich starring action film Monster Hunter led the weekend box office with a weak $2.2 million
Unlike that film, which Warner Bros. is releasing outside of the traditional theatrical window, Monster Hunter, which is distributed by Sony, can currently only be seen in a movie theater.
Although consumers have been scrambling for last-minute holiday shopping, that hasn’t translated into greater movie-going throughout the season.
Monster Hunter was expected to earn around $4 million in its opening weekend, so the $2.2 million grosses are a disappointment.
However, Sony appears to expect the film to continue to do solid business through Christmas and into January.
Underperformance: Monster Hunter was expected to earn around $4 million in its opening weekend, so the $2.2 million grosses are a disappointment
Better than expected: The movie has gotten better reviewers than Jovovich’s previous collaborations with her director husband Paul W. S. Anderson, so Monster Hunter may have legs
Monster Hunter, based on the Capcom video game of the same name, stars Milla Jovovich and is directed by her husband Paul W. S. Anderson, with whom she’s collaborated multiple times for their Resident Evil series of action–horror films.
Jovovich plays an Army Ranger captain who falls through a portal into another world, where she and her fellow soldiers are set upon by grotesque monsters, until they find a hunter who teaches them how to survive.
The film has received mixed reviews, which was better than most of Jovovich and Anderson’s previous collaborations.
Their last film, 2016’s Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, grossed $13.6 million in its first weekend, but that movie played in more than 3,000 theaters, while Monster Hunter only had access to a bit more than 1,7000.
Sony has kept Monster Hunter’s advertising budget low, so there may be a late push for the film in markets with more theaters open, including the American South and Asia.
Coming soon: Wonder Woman 1984 has performed poorly in Asia so far, but the film may benefit from its Christmas day release, as people who stayed home finally go to movie theaters
Monster Hunter’s poor performance doesn’t bode well for Wonder Woman 1984, but the super hero movie might benefit from its Christmas day release.
Though people have been hesitant to return to theaters, families gathering in contradiction to pandemic recommendations may be more likely to go to theaters on Christmas.
It also has a considerably larger advertising budget, having spent $17 million so far on TV ads compared to Monster Hunter’s $1.3 million.
However, WW84 has failed to find traction globally after being released earlier outside the US.
It’s opening in China, where many theaters are open, was only $18.8 million this week, compared to $37.6 million in 2017 for the first Wonder Woman film.
Not extinct yet: Coming in at number 2 was the ever-evolving Croods 2, which earned $2 million, with a total of $27 million over four weeks
New contender: The thriller Fatale debuted in third place with $925,000. Michael Ealy plays a married man who has a disastrous one-night stand with a police detective (Hilary Swank)
Coming in at number 2 was the ever-evolving Croods 2, which earned $2 million, with a total of $27 million over four weeks.
The numbers for the animated family film were impressive, considering that it’s already available for VOD.
The thriller Fatale debuted in third place with $925,000.
Michael Ealy stars as a married man who has a one-night stand with a police detective (played by Hilary Swank) who begins investigating him after things go sour.
Modern classic: Elf earned $371,000 in 680 theaters across the US in its sixth week back in theaters as studios have relied on older Christmas films
Taking another trip: The Tom Hanks–starring animated film The Polar Express came in sixth with $225,000
Impressive haul: The Chevy Chase vehicle National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation was close behind with $211,000
The lackluster box office has allowed theatrical rereleases of contemporary and classic holiday films to make some additional money.
Elf earned $371,000 in 680 theaters across the US in its sixth week back in theaters, while the Tom Hanks–starring animated film The Polar Express came in sixth with $225,000.
The Chevy Chase vehicle National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation was close behind with $211,000.
Sinking: The poorly reviewed comedy Half Brothers rounded out the top five with $260,000 in its third week
Can’t beat it: The Robert De Niro family comedy The War With Grandpa has tenaciously clung to the top 10 and was still in eighth place with $170,000
The poorly reviewed comedy Half Brothers rounded out the top five with $260,000 in its third week.
The Robert De Niro family comedy The War With Grandpa has tenaciously clung to the top 10 and was still in eighth place with $170,000.
Freaky, a horror–comedy update on Freaky Friday starring Vince Vaughn, also posted a respectable $165,000 at 785 theaters in its sixth week.
Finishing out the top 10 was another new Christmas staple, the Jim Carrey live-action version of How The Grinch Stole Christmas, which grossed $130,000.
Back in theaters: Finishing out the top 10 was another new Christmas staple, the Jim Carrey live-action version of How The Grinch Stole Christmas, which grossed $130,000