Christmas came early for the box office.
« The Grinch marks Universal’s fourth No. 1 opening over the past eight weeks, along with « The House with a Clock in its Walls, » « Night School » and « Halloween.
« The Grinch » is yet another example of a film that brought in more than expected this year. Other 2018 hits such as « Black Panther, » « Incredibles 2, » « Venom » and last weekend’s « Bohemian Rhapsody » all nabbed box office openings bigger than industry forecasts.
« The Grinch » found an audience despite some rotten reviews. It has a 55% review score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Illumination Entertainment, the Universal owned animation company, has had a long string of hits at the box office. The company, which has produced « Despicable Me, » « Minions » and « The Secret Life of Pets, » has made more than $5.7 billion globally since 2010.
« The Grinch » keeps the box office chugging. The yearly take is up about 10.5% since last year, according to Comscore.
The domestic box office should get another big boost next week when Warner Bros.’ « Harry Potter » prequel, « Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald » hits theaters. After that, the holiday season really kicks in with potential blockbusters such as « Creed II, » « Aquaman » and « Mary Poppins Returns » all on the docket.
