Box Office: ‘Matrix 4’ And ‘Encanto’ Bomb In China As ‘Sing 2’ Enters 2021 Top Ten

In weekend box office news not related to Scream or Spider-Man: No Way Home, Universal and Illumination’s Sing 2 continues to be the Tomorrow Never Dies to Spider-Man: No Way Home’s Titanic, earning another $3.76 million (-32%) despite being available on PVOD for the last week. That sets the jukebox musical up for a$8.27 million (-29%) fourth weekend, a $11.5 million holiday haul and a $122.5 million domestic cume. It has passed Jungle Cruise ($117 million) and Free Guy ($122 million) to become the tenth-biggest grosser of 2021, while earning $215 million worldwide on an $85 million budget. Sony’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife ($126.4 million after a $1.02 million Fri-Mon weekend) is next in its sites as it hits $194 million worldwide on a $75 million budget.  

Universal’s The 355 was a non-starter last weekend, earning just $4.8 million despite boasting an all-star “Film Twitter loves them” cast. The Jessica Chastain/Lupita Nyong’o/Penelope Cruz/etc. ensemble actioner earned $2.3 million (-48%) Fri-Sun/ $2.9 million Fri-Mon weekend gross. That’ll give Simon Kinberg’s star-driven original a mere $9 million domestic cume. 20th Century Studios and Disney’s The King’s Man grossed $2.32 million (26%) over the weekend and $2.92 million over the Fri-Mon holiday haul. The World War I-set prequel will have $29.285 million on Monday, or about what The Golden Circle earned in two days. It has earned $92 million worldwide. American Underdog continued to live up to its title, with a $1.86 million (-20%) fourth weekend, $2.27 million Fri-Mon gross and $21.737 million domestic cume.  

Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story grossed $948,000 (-331%) and $1.13 million over the Fri-Sun/Fri-Mon weekend, giving the $100 million musical a $34 million domestic and $57.5 million worldwide cume. It’s still bigger than any awards season flick outside of Dune ($107 million and $390 million worldwide) and House of Gucci ($51 million/$127 million), but this it’s another “rank is irrelevant” scenario. Licorice Pizza continued to stick it out, with a $880,000 (-10%) Fri-Sun weekend and $1.18 million Fri-Mon weekend in just 772 theaters. That’ll give MGM’s leggy dramady a $9.864 million domestic cume, which isn’t half-bad (especially on a Covid curve and pre-Oscar nominations) for a star-free Paul Thomas Anderson flick. Alas, it’s about tied with Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley which now has $9.3 million. 

Lana Wachowski’s The Matrix Resurrections will earn $1.08 million over the Fri-Mon holiday for a $36 million domestic cume. It bombed in China amid terrible word of mouth with a $7.5 million opening weekend, giving the $190 million sequel a $140 million global cume. Disney’s Encanto bombed in China too, with $5 million in ten days, giving it a $222 million global cume. Sony reissued Venom: Let There Be Carnage into 1,435 theaters (+1,373) over the holiday in a bid to get past Venom’s $213.5 million domestic cume. Mission possibly accomplished, with a $380,000 16th weekend gross and new $213 million domestic total. Meanwhile, alleged Oscar front runner Belfast has $6.9 million, well below what The French Dispatch ($16 million) and King Richard ($15 million) have earned.