Mediaweek editor James Manning looks at the weekend box office for May 31-June 3, 2018.
Three massive movies lead the box office chart with a gross of over $100m between them. However, the weekend takings managed to drop by a third – from $16.58m down to $11.11m.
The first winter weekend was frosty in more ways than one for exhibitors and it was the quietest weekend since March 21 when the weekend total then slipped under $10m.
There was no new release in the top five. The biggest opening was Roadshow’s Gringo, which ranked #8 with a modest $300,000 from 196 screens, giving it an even more modest $1,545 screen average.
#1 Deadpool 2 $3.56m
On its third weekend in cinemas the superhero with superhealing powers dropped 251 screens to 305. Its screen average held above 10,000 as its total sits just on $30m after three weeks.
#2 Solo: A Star Wars Story $3.49m
Not an unexpected second weekend after a disappointing opening. Deadpool 2 was down 53% on its second weekend while Solo was off 47%, which wasn’t helped by shedding 177 screens while its screen average dropped from $8,478 to $5,750. Total to-date is $11.59m.
#3 Avengers: Infinity War $868,000
After six weekends, the third of the superhero movies (Han Solo qualifies, yes?) holds onto a top three spot. The gross has managed to pass $60m.
#4 Life Of The Party $455,000
A fourth weekend has been helped by the lack of anything new to push this out of the top five. The film had the smallest screen average in the top five – $1,843. Total earn in its fourth month of release is $4.93m.
#5 The Bookshop $423,000
Second weekend for this little movie that appeals to a niche crowd. That crowd kept the screen average over $3,000 and it has rung up $1.27m so far.