I don’t think anyone will be surprised to learn Fifty Shades of Grey managed to secure the top spot at the box office for a second weekend in a row. I also don’t think anyone will be surprised to hear it did it with a drop greater than 73% as the S&M franchise starter scored $23.2 million this Oscar weekend, bringing its domestic cume to $132.5 million in just ten days. The $40 million budgeted film is killing it overseas where it’s already brought in $280.5 million for a worldwide cume of $413 million.
In fact, the top two spots remain the same from last weekend with Kingsman: The Secret Service hauling in $16.1 million for a 54% second weekend drop, which, again, seems perfectly obvious.
It isn’t until the fourth spot on this weekend’s chart that you find one of the week’s newcomers and it’s McFarland, USA taking honors as the highest grossing new release with $11.3 million, though it’s a tight race for those kudos as The Duff is right on its heels with $11 million. Both were also hits with opening day audiences with The Duff receiving an “A-” CinemaScore and McFarland going even higher with a flat “A” grade.
Going much lower on the CinemaScore scale is the “comedy” bust Hot Tub Time Machine 2, which received a “C-” CinemaScore and a $5.8 million opening. The production budget on the sequel that never should have been made was only $14 million so this isn’t a big loss, but it definitely makes you wonder who thought this was a good idea… as if you weren’t wondering already.
Tonight’s the Oscars and I’m not sure if there are any films left in wide release outside of American Sniper and The Imitation Game to get much of an Oscar bump, though Still Alice added 263 theaters this weekend and did quite well, bringing in $2.17 million from 765 theaters.
I will say, however, if you have the chance to see Foreign Language nominee Wild Tales do so. Of course, it’s only in four theaters right now, but it did score $89,000 from those four this weekend. Great film and perhaps it can pull out a surprise win this weekend. You can read my review here.
Next week sees the release of Focus and The Lazarus Effect along with limited releases of Maps to the Stars, My Life Directed By Nicolas Winding Refn and ’71.
