It is a toss among animated superheroes, sex fantasy, and gratuitous violence at the top three of this weekend’s box office weekend.
Warner Bros.’ DC superheroes made of Lego topped the Feb. 10-12 weekend. The Lego Batman Movie dominated BDSM tale Fifty Shades Darker with $55.6 million in earnings; the Fifty Shades sequel bagged $46.8 million.
The third spot went to guns-and-punches assassin movie John Wick: Chapter 2, which killed $30 million in its opening week. Previous blockbuster leader for three weeks Split fell at No. 4. At fifth place is Hidden Figures, with a weekend haul of $8 million.
Rounding off the top 10 are A Dog’s Purpose with $7.4 million, Rings with $5.8 million, La La Land with $5 million, Lion with $4.1 million, and The Space Between Us with $1.8 million.
Warner Bros Wins With Lego Batman
Leading the pack for this U.S. box office weekend is Warner Bros. Animation’s The Lego Batman Movie. This is the third film for the studio and sequel to the 2014 hit The Lego Movie.
This family movie stars Will Arnett as Batman’s voice actor. Also starring are Michael Cera as Robin, and Zach Galifianakis as The Joker. The movie was released to good reviews, getting stars for its humor and animation.
Lego Batman also earned $37 million outside the United States across 60 territories, bringing its weekend total to $92 million.
Fifty Shades Darker Submits To No. 2
The controversial sex fantasy movie about domination, submission and sadomasochism ended its first week at second place. Fifty Shades Darker is the sequel to the popular 2015 movie Fifty Shades of Grey. The movie recasts Dakota Johnson as the now-experienced Anastasia Steele, and Jamie Dornan as the cruel billionaire Christian Grey.
This S&M fantasy fared better globally, taking home $100 million from theaters worldwide for a grand total of $146 million. With the Valentine’s week coming, the profit is sure to balloon further.
The movie however failed to titillate the critics. With a 10 percent score in Rotten Tomatoes, Fifty Shades Darker suffered from lack from lack of “chemistry, heat or narrative friction to satisfy.”
John Wick Back With A Vengeance
Keanu Reeves’s John Wick returns with a murderous intent in the sequel and its results reflected in its strong box office result. John Wick: Chapter 2’s weekend haul doubled its predecessor’s 15-million dollar debut.
This neo-noir tale of assassins doing their killings in a flashy way surely attracted the male audience, with 64 percent of goers being males. It earned $10.6 million from global theaters.
This movie is a sequel to 2014's John Wick that also starred Reeves. The movie was received positively by reviewers, commending its fight choreography and visual style.
