Weekend Actuals : ‘Alien: Covenant’ Ekes Out Narrow Win ($36.1M) Over ‘Guardians Vol. 2’ ($34.6M)

Monday Update: Fox’s sci-fi horror Alien: Covenant captured a close first place at the box office this weekend with $36.1 million. Disney’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 took second with $34.6 million, after spending the past two frames on top.

Some analysts projected Guardians would win for the third straight frame, and indeed Sunday studio estimates showed a tight race with Alien slightly ahead. But Monday actuals padded Alien‘s total while decreasing Guardians‘ by a few hundred thousand dollars.

Warner Bros.’ young adult romance Everything, Everything started in third place with $11.7 million, slightly below other young adult romances of recent years. And Fox’s family comedy Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul crashed in sixth place with $7.1 million, the fourth installment of the Wimpy Kid series starting with less than half of the previous lowest opening in the series.

The full table of weekend actuals is at bottom, after our Sunday update with fuller analysis.


Sunday Update: It’s close enough that the top two films might switch places when weekend actuals are revealed on Monday, but for now, Fox’s Alien: Covenant seems to have won and dethroned Disney’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The science-fiction sequel earned an estimated $36.0 million, ranking just above the superhero sequel which led the past two frames.

The R-rated latest entry into the Alien franchise — starring Michael Fassbender in an ensemble cast — played in 606 fewer theaters, but won the weekend by its higher per-screen average. This should be chalked up as a solid if not amazing win for Fox, proving that the decades-old series still has steam.

That being said, the film did start lower than several other comparable space horror/thriller titles. It opens 29.4 percent behind the $50.1 million opening of previous franchise installment Prometheus. It also began behind the debuts of GravityInterstellarIndependence Day: Resurgence, and The Martian.

Just in the past 24 hours, the studio downgraded its weekend estimate from $40.2 million to $36.0 million. Any estimate change of more than about 10 percent between Saturday and Sunday is highly unusual, indicating that the numbers are coming in below expectations, possibly enough to drop it into second place by the time weekend actuals are revealed MOnday.

The film earned a ‘B’ average CinemaScore and 76 percent Rotten Tomatoes rating. It started with an estimated $15.3 million on Friday night, including an estimated $4.2 million from Thursday night previews, for a opening weekend to Friday ratio of 2.34 to 1.

Disney’s Guardians took second place with a 46.3 percent drop to $35.0 million. After experiencing a better second-weekend hold last frame than other comparable Marvel superhero sequels like Avengers: Age of Ultron, Iron Man 2, and Thor: The Dark World, the film also experiences a milder third-weekend decline than those other titles as well. Chalk it up to positive word of mouth and weaker-than-expected competition so far.

With $301.8 million banked domestically, the sequel is closing in on the original Guardians‘ $333.1 million total, a figure it should surpass by next weekend.

Warner Bros.’ Everything, Everything began in third place with an estimated $12.0 million. The  young adult romance stars relative newcomers Amandla Stenberg and Nick Robinson. It opens slightly below — but in range of — other recent comparable titles such as Paper TownsIf I Stay, and Me Before You. The film has already earned back its estimated $10 million budget domestically, compared to the estimated $97 million budget for Alien: Covenant which might prove difficult to reach domestically.

Everything earned an ‘A-‘ average CinemaScore, from an audience that ran 82 percent female and 52 percent below age 18. It started with an estimated $4.7 million on Friday, including $525 thousand in Thursday night previews, for an estimated opening weekend to Friday ratio of 2.53 to 1.

Fox’s family comedy Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul didn’t fare as well, posting by far the lowest opening of the four installments in the Wimpy Kid franchise, at less than half the previous lowest opening. The film begins in fifth place, compared to second, first, and third place place debuts respectively for the three previous installments. Its $7.2 million is also significantly behind the $22.1, $23.7, and $14.6 million starts for the prior films.

Among the negative factors were a May release date with steeper competition than the series’ previous March and August releases, plus with a new actor in the lead role, as previous lead Zachary Gordon who audiences had come to know had aged out of the “kid” designation. Also not helping was the film’s “rotten” 23 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The film started with an estimated $2.0 million on Friday, including $150 thousand from Thursday night previews, placing the opening weekend to Friday ratio at 3.6 to 1. (An impressive-sounding number, in this case it’s more reflective of a low opening day than an indication of a good hold in weeks to come.)

The top 10 films earned an estimated $115.2 million. That’s 7.4 percent behind than the $124.5 million from last weekend. It’s also 6.2 percent behind the $123.0 million on this weekend last year, when Captain America: Civil War led for the second frame with $72.6 million.


Weekend Actuals for Friday, May 19 – Sunday, May 21, 2017:

WIDE (1000+)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 Alien: Covenant $36,160,621 3,761 $9,615 $36,160,621 1 Fox
2 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 $34,653,754 -47% 4,347 0 $7,972 $301,391,228 3 Disney
3 Everything, Everything $11,727,390 2,801 $4,187 $11,727,390 1 Warner Bros.
4 Snatched $7,832,517 -60% 3,511 10 $2,231 $33,015,117 2 Fox
5 King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword $7,152,269 -53% 3,702 0 $1,932 $27,503,490 2 Warner Bros.
6 Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul $7,126,084 3,157 $2,257 $7,126,084 1 20th Century Fox
7 The Fate of the Furious $3,234,040 -40% 2,287 -780 $1,414 $219,944,340 6 Universal
8 The Boss Baby $2,848,253 -37% 2,071 -840 $1,375 $166,200,803 8 Fox / DreamWorks Animation
9 Beauty and the Beast $2,545,579 -47% 1,792 -380 $1,421 $497,924,628 10 Disney

LIMITED (100 — 999)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 How to Be A Latin Lover $2,051,180 -47% 948 -175 $2,164 $29,309,990 4 Lionsgate / Pantelion
2 Lowriders $1,183,600 -51% 365 70 $3,243 $4,211,985 2 BH Tilt
3 Gifted $766,765 -50% 824 -602 $931 $22,900,823 7 Fox Searchlight
4 Going in Style $600,081 -44% 690 -554 $870 $43,372,898 7 Warner Bros. / New Line
5 Smurfs: The Lost Village $572,562 -50% 652 -953 $878 $43,064,566 7 Sony / Columbia
6 Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer $565,554 48% 373 220 $1,516 $2,273,140 6 Sony Pictures Classics
7 The Circle $451,218 -75% 647 -1485 $697 $20,030,002 4 EuropaCorp/STXfilms
8 Born in China $371,765 -59% 575 -480 $647 $13,137,812 5 Disneynature
9 The Lovers $274,050 119% 105 82 $2,610 $528,495 3 A24
10 Get Out $245,135 -38% 262 -143 $936 $174,939,840 13 Universal
11 The Zookeeper’s Wife $231,360 -37% 275 -150 $841 $16,839,076 8 Focus Features
12 Logan $205,176 -28% 213 -92 $963 $225,885,681 12 Fox
13 Power Rangers $204,916 94% 221 24 $927 $85,067,486 9 Lionsgate
14 A Quiet Passion $202,731 -5% 135 18 $1,502 $1,081,006 6 Music Box Films
15 The Lost City of Z $202,564 -60% 217 -280 $933 $8,010,429 6 Amazon Studios / Bleecker Street
16 Kong: Skull Island $201,305 -30% 238 -108 $846 $167,051,307 11 Warner Bros.
17 The LEGO Batman Movie $155,339 4% 202 -18 $769 $175,329,830 15 Warner Bros.
18 Their Finest $150,709 -50% 155 -103 $972 $3,178,763 7 EuropaCorp/STXfilms
19 The Case For Christ $91,103 -52% 138 -128 $660 $14,450,540 7 Pure Flix
20 Sleight $84,100 -72% 113 -251 $744 $3,847,290 4 High Top Releasing
21 Unforgettable $81,680 -56% 176 -127 $464 $11,274,490 5 Warner Bros.
22 Colossal $77,785 -36% 105 -60 $741 $2,868,097 7 Neon
23 Ghost in the Shell $53,928 -47% 124 -64 $435 $40,533,014 8 Paramount / DreamWorks

PLATFORM (1 — 99)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 Paris Can Wait $188,369 91% 23 19 $8,190 $318,951 2 Sony Pictures Classics
2 Hidden Figures $55,942 -31% 81 -22 $691 $169,274,813 22 Fox
3 Life (2017) $39,204 -45% 87 -38 $451 $30,180,466 9 Sony / Columbia
4 The Dinner $38,829 -83% 92 -336 $422 $1,280,517 3 The Orchard
5 Obit. $33,851 69% 20 10 $1,693 $129,299 4 Kino Lorber
6 CHiPs $33,384 -43% 41 -64 $814 $18,591,819 9 Warner Bros.
7 This Is Not What I Expected $26,478 -53% 12 -17 $2,207 $306,767 3 Well Go USA
8 Like Crazy $23,232 489% 13 9 $1,787 $37,508 3 Strand Releasing
9 Stalker $21,856 130% 5 4 $4,371 $73,516 3 Janus
10 Battle of Memories $21,433 -55% 11 -10 $1,948 $570,992 4 China Lion Film
11 Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent $15,363 12% 33 13 $466 $1,257,051 5 The Orchard
12 Abacus: Small Enough to Jail $12,528 1 $12,528 $12,528 1 PBS Distribution
13 Risk $12,104 -68% 13 -32 $931 $171,994 3 Neon
14 Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary $11,941 -48% 10 -6 $1,194 $222,623 6 Abramorama
15 Phoenix Forgotten $11,913 -77% 13 -42 $916 $3,581,315 5 Cinelou Films
16 Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe $10,682 -9% 4 3 $2,671 $29,335 2 First Run Features
17 T2: Trainspotting $10,234 -44% 22 -10 $465 $2,395,410 12 Sony
18 The Commune $9,249 7 $1,321 $9,249 1 Magnolia Pictures
19 The King’s Case Note $7,332 -63% 4 -3 $1,833 $78,705 4 CJ Entertainment
20 Manifesto $7,312 -24% 1 0 $7,312 $24,816 2 FilmRise
21 Buster Mal’s Heart $7,266 10 $727 $62,382 4 Well Go USA
22 The Belko Experiment $7,070 -96% 18 -56 $393 $10,164,675 10 BH Tilt
23 Maurice (2017 re-release) $6,972 1 $6,972 $6,972 1 Cohen Media Group
24 Truman $6,628 14% 6 -3 $1,105 $186,920 7 Filmrise
25 Afterimage $5,832 1 $5,832 $5,832 1 Film Movement
26 Tommy’s Honour $5,774 -26% 13 -2 $444 $561,963 6 Roadside Attractions
27 Leon Morin, Priest (2017 re-release) $5,644 -51% 1 0 $5,644 $26,466 2 Rialto Pictures
28 Icaros: A Vision $5,510 1 $5,510 $5,510 1 Factory
29 Bang! The Bert Berns Story $4,660 1% 2 -2 $2,330 $31,767 4 Abramorama
30 I am Not Your Negro $3,795 -58% 7 -3 $542 $7,106,285 16 Magnolia Pictures
31 Frantz $2,887 -59% 6 -9 $481 $858,208 10 Music Box Films
32 David Lynch: The Art Life $2,833 -59% 3 -5 $944 $142,569 8 Janus
33 A Woman’s Life $2,640 -65% 2 -2 $1,320 $32,714 3 Kino Lorber Films
34 The Woman Who Left $2,018 1 $2,018 $2,018 1 Kino Lorber Films
35 The Last Shaman $1,994 -71% 3 2 $665 $10,538 2 Abramorama Entertainment
36 Cezanne and I $1,945 -61% 6 -1 $324 $229,929 8 Magnolia Pictures
37 The Red Turtle $1,597 139% 5 2 $319 $920,057 18 Sony Pictures Classics
38 Burden $1,480 -77% 3 -9 $493 $18,001 3 Magnolia Pictures
39 Soul on a String $1,355 2 $678 $1,355 1 Film Movement
40 Land of Mine $1,266 -35% 2 -1 $633 $434,640 15 Sony Pictures Classics
41 The Mayor $1,211 -70% 1 -1 $1,211 $96,299 4 Well Go USA
42 Alive and Kicking $900 -87% 3 -5 $300 $51,043 7 Magnolia Pictures
43 The Last Word $839 -61% 4 -10 $210 $1,782,667 12 Bleeker Street
44 A United Kingdom $742 -77% 3 -7 $247 $3,901,302 15 Fox Searchlight
45 Glory $692 -25% 1 0 $692 $16,598 6 Film Movement
46 Slack Bay $648 -58% 1 -1 $648 $41,344 5 Kino Lorber Films
47 After the Storm $264 -93% 2 -6 $132 $249,936 10 Film Movement
48 The Transfiguration $182 -84% 2 0 $91 $18,742 7 Strand Releasing
49 The Void $171 1 $171 $150,372 7 Cartilage Films
50 A Woman, A Part $57 -54% 1 -1 $57 $23,328 9 Strand Releasing
51 Mr. Chibbs $48 1 $48 $8,239 3 Abramorama

Studio Weekend Estimates for Friday, May 19 – Sunday, May 21, 2017:

WIDE (1000+)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 Alien: Covenant $36,000,000 3,761 $9,572 $36,000,000 1 Fox
2 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 $35,062,000 -46% 4,347 0 $8,066 $301,799,474 3 Disney
3 Everything, Everything $12,000,000 2,801 $4,284 $12,000,000 1 Warner Bros.
4 Snatched $7,600,000 -61% 3,511 10 $2,165 $32,782,600 2 Fox
5 Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul $7,200,000 3,157 $2,281 $7,200,000 1 20th Century Fox
6 King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword $6,850,000 -55% 3,702 0 $1,850 $27,201,221 2 Warner Bros.
7 The Fate of the Furious $3,173,565 -41% 2,287 -780 $1,388 $219,883,865 6 Universal
8 The Boss Baby $2,800,000 -38% 2,071 -840 $1,352 $166,152,550 8 Fox / DreamWorks Animation
9 Beauty and the Beast $2,403,000 -50% 1,792 -380 $1,341 $497,782,049 10 Disney

LIMITED (100 — 999)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 How to Be A Latin Lover $2,200,000 -43% 948 -175 $2,321 $29,458,810 4 Lionsgate / Pantelion
2 Lowriders $1,161,695 -52% 365 70 $3,183 $4,190,080 2 BH Tilt
3 Gifted $765,000 -50% 824 -602 $928 $22,899,058 7 Fox Searchlight
4 Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer $620,974 62% 373 220 $1,665 $2,328,450 6 Sony Pictures Classics
5 Smurfs: The Lost Village $520,000 -54% 652 -953 $798 $43,012,004 7 Sony / Columbia
6 The Circle $450,000 -75% 684 -1448 $658 $20,028,784 4 EuropaCorp/STXfilms
7 Born in China $425,000 -53% 575 -480 $739 $13,191,047 5 Disneynature
8 The Wall $321,050 -64% 524 -16 $613 $1,578,770 2 Roadside Attractions
9 The Lovers $300,417 140% 105 82 $2,861 $554,862 3 A24
10 Power Rangers $235,000 122% 221 24 $1,063 $85,097,570 9 Lionsgate
11 The Zookeeper’s Wife $234,460 -36% 275 -150 $853 $16,842,176 8 Focus Features
12 Get Out $232,550 -41% 262 -143 $888 $174,927,255 13 Universal
13 A Quiet Passion $202,837 -5% 130 13 $1,560 $1,081,112 6 Music Box Films
14 The Lost City of Z $196,679 -61% 217 -280 $906 $8,004,545 6 Amazon Studios / Bleecker Street
15 Logan $180,000 -37% 213 -92 $845 $225,860,505 12 Fox
16 Their Finest $150,000 -51% 160 -98 $938 $3,178,054 7 EuropaCorp/STXfilms
17 Sleight $84,810 -71% 113 -251 $751 $3,848,000 4 High Top Releasing
18 Colossal $78,173 -35% 105 -60 $745 $2,868,485 7 Neon

PLATFORM (1 — 99)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 Paris Can Wait $203,633 106% 23 19 $8,854 $334,215 2 Sony Pictures Classics
2 The Wedding Plan $172,975 446% 53 45 $3,264 $218,975 2 Roadside Attractions
3 Champion $87,100 31 $2,810 $87,100 1 ArtAffects Entertainment
4 Hidden Figures $68,000 -17% 81 -22 $840 $169,286,871 22 Fox
5 The Dinner $37,680 -84% 91 -337 $414 $1,279,368 3 The Orchard
6 KEDi $18,000 2% 19 -3 $947 $2,625,882 15 Oscilloscope Laboratories
7 Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent $15,615 14% 33 13 $473 $163,698 5 The Orchard
8 Wakefield $14,120 1 $14,120 $14,120 1 IFC Films
9 Abacus: Small Enough to Jail $13,626 1 $13,626 $13,626 1 PBS Distribution
10 Risk $11,096 -71% 12 -33 $925 $170,986 3 Neon
11 Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary $9,835 -57% 10 -6 $984 $220,517 6 Abramorama
12 Manifesto $7,000 -27% 1 0 $7,000 $24,504 2 FilmRise
13 Truman $6,500 12% 6 -3 $1,083 $186,792 7 Filmrise
14 3 Generations $6,198 -73% 13 -24 $477 $66,371 3 Weinstein Company
15 Bang! The Bert Berns Story $4,352 -6% 2 -2 $2,176 $31,449 4 Abramorama
16 The Belko Experiment $3,360 -98% 18 -56 $187 $10,160,965 10 BH Tilt
17 The Last Shaman $2,175 -68% 3 2 $725 $10,719 2 Abramorama Entertainment