How did this weekend’s movies fare? Did the latest new release live up to the hype? Here are the weekend’s ten highest-grossing films. We’ll let you know which recent movies won big with both audiences and critics, and which features fell short of expectations in one way or another.
The revolving door at the top of the box office keeps turning, with yet another new release earning the honor of being the highest-grossing film in U. S. theaters over the weekend.
This time around, PG-13 comedy Night School was the big winner, extending star Kevin Hart’s streak of films that have earned at least $20 million on their opening weekends. His last movie not to hit that mark was 2004’s Soul Plane, making him one of Hollywood’s most reliable comedic leads over the last decade.
Of course, it helps that Night School was well-received by audiences, who gave it an “A-” grade. Professional critics were a bit less impressed with it, though, leaving the film with just 30-percent positive reviews.
Another new release ended up in second place at the box office, finishing just $5 million behind Night School. Warner Bros. Pictures’ animated feature Smallfoot enjoyed a $23 million premiere, but that’s a bit underwhelming for an all-ages, animated movie given a wide release on a weekend lacking much competition for kids’ attention. Critically, the film got a warm welcome from audiences and professional reviewers, but its lackluster opening weekend is comparable to films like The Lego Ninjago Movie ($20.4 million) and The Emoji Movie ($24.5 million), which are both considered box-office disappointments in hindsight.
Most surprising, however, is the disappointing debut for Hell Fest, the teen-slasher horror film that premiered in sixth place with a mere $5 million.
Rolling into the Halloween weekend on the heels of two horror movies that outperformed expectations ( The Nun and The House With a Clock in its Walls), Hell Fest seemed to have the timing right for a successful release. That doesn’t seem to be the case, though, with the film bringing in just $5 million and less-than-stellar reviews from critics and ticket-buying audiences — the latter of which gave the film an abysmal “C” grade. Whether this is a reflection of the film itself, the appeal of its competition, or it was simply released a week too early, the next few weeks will be telling for Hell Fest.
Also noteworthy this weekend was the continued success of The Nun, which passed The Conjuring 2 to become the highest-grossing film in The Conjuring franchise with $330 million worldwide.
Coming up this week are a fairly wide range of new releases, with Sony Pictures’ dark comic-book movie Venom the most high-profile premiere of the bunch. Also hitting theaters is the musical drama A Star is Born, which has been earning positive reviews and plenty of Oscar buzz heading into its debut, as well as the drama The Hate U Give, which follows a young girl who witnesses the shooting of her friend by a police officer.
