Weekend Actuals: ‘Boss Baby’ Shows Who’s Boss w/ $50.1M, Surprisingly Beating ‘Beauty and the Beast;’ ‘Ghost in the Shell’ Can’t Break Out of Shell w/ $18.6M

Monday Update: Just like the president he impersonates on Saturday Night Live, Alec Baldwin unexpectedly took first place in a shocking victory where he was expected to finish second. Fox’s animated comedy The Boss Baby surpassed even the most optimistic predictions, taking first place with an estimated $50.1 million opening weekend.

In the process, it dethroned Beauty and the Beast, which was widely expected to lead for a third straight frame, but instead took second with a 49.8 percent decline to $45.4 million.

Paramount and DreamWorks’ Ghost in the Shell under-performed with an estimated $19.0 million and third place. The science-fiction action film starring Scarlett Johansson was expected to earn somewhere around the mid-to-high $20s. Instead, it was unable to overcome the limited fame of the source material and audience fatigue after a month of more successful male-aimed action films including LoganKong: Skull Island, and Power Rangers.

Full weekend actuals are below, followed by our original Sunday studio weekend estimates update with more facts and figures.

Weekend Actuals for Friday, March 31 – Sunday, April 2, 2017:

WIDE (1000+)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 The Boss Baby $50,198,902 3,773 $13,305 $50,198,902 1 Fox / DreamWorks Animation
2 Beauty and the Beast $45,420,743 -50% 4,210 0 $10,789 $393,337,585 3 Disney
3 Ghost in the Shell $18,676,033 3,440 $5,429 $18,676,033 1 Paramount / DreamWorks
4 Power Rangers $14,200,307 -65% 3,693 0 $3,845 $64,762,477 2 Lionsgate
5 Kong: Skull Island $8,587,454 -41% 3,141 -525 $2,734 $147,635,658 4 Warner Bros.
6 Logan $6,108,084 -41% 2,323 -840 $2,629 $211,775,721 5 Fox
7 Get Out $5,660,210 -36% 1,844 -630 $3,070 $156,734,170 6 Universal
8 Life (2017) $5,551,767 -56% 3,146 0 $1,765 $22,296,006 2 Sony / Columbia
9 CHiPs $3,958,188 -45% 2,464 0 $1,606 $14,270,554 2 Warner Bros.
10 The Shack $2,042,041 -47% 1,430 -900 $1,428 $52,957,048 5 Lionsgate / Summit

LIMITED (100 — 999)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 The Zookeeper’s Wife $3,288,835 541 $6,079 $3,288,835 1 Focus Features
2 The LEGO Batman Movie $750,139 -64% 812 -826 $924 $172,676,702 8 Warner Bros.
3 The Belko Experiment $528,165 -72% 453 -888 $1,166 $8,990,355 3 BH Tilt
4 Hidden Figures $414,389 -45% 352 -288 $1,177 $167,805,062 15 Fox
5 T2: Trainspotting $377,618 -3% 140 81 $2,697 $1,155,125 5 Sony
6 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story $249,074 -44% 224 -43 $1,112 $531,721,570 16 Disney
7 John Wick: Chapter 2 $217,548 -52% 210 -193 $1,036 $91,283,469 8 Lionsgate / Summit
8 The Last Word $210,816 -61% 289 -91 $729 $1,482,904 5 Bleeker Street
9 Lion $198,831 -50% 175 -145 $1,136 $51,117,883 19 Weinstein Company
10 Personal Shopper $161,457 -25% 153 46 $1,055 $794,857 4 IFC Films
11 Sing (2016) $154,360 -26% 202 -26 $764 $269,943,555 15 Universal
12 KEDi $150,337 -28% 108 1 $1,392 $2,025,391 8 Oscilloscope Laboratories
13 La La Land $133,067 -32% 143 -69 $931 $150,459,658 17 Lionsgate / Summit
14 A Dog’s Purpose $132,295 -49% 189 -110 $700 $63,665,480 10 Universal
15 Fist Fight $126,584 32% 172 19 $736 $32,026,656 7 Warner Bros. / New Line
16 Moana $110,247 -47% 175 -37 $630 $248,558,024 19 Disney
17 Wilson $107,730 -68% 311 1 $346 $585,059 2 Fox Searchlight
18 Split $89,795 -53% 141 -121 $637 $137,415,270 11 Universal
19 Rock Dog $67,722 11% 133 11 $509 $9,340,388 6 Summit Premiere
20 The Great Wall $66,865 -30% 104 -54 $643 $45,125,480 7 Universal

PLATFORM (1 — 99)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 The Devotion of Suspect X $323,207 43 $7,516 $323,207 1 China Lion Films
2 I am Not Your Negro $86,908 -26% 60 -20 $1,448 $6,789,285 9 Magnolia Pictures
3 A United Kingdom $80,413 -57% 86 -73 $935 $3,696,378 8 Fox Searchlight
4 The Prison $80,376 23 $3,495 $80,376 1 Well Go USA
5 The Sense Of An Ending $79,353 -71% 88 -147 $902 $1,235,432 4 CBS Films
6 Phillauri $71,496 -73% 65 -9 $1,100 $417,308 2 FIP
7 Raw $69,643 -10% 42 15 $1,658 $302,781 4 Focus World
8 Song To Song $58,418 -57% 95 15 $615 $325,580 3 Broad Green Pictures
9 Donnie Darko (15th Anniversary Re-Release) $57,259 21 $2,727 $57,259 1 Arrow Films
10 Passengers $46,196 -88% 57 -449 $810 $99,956,732 15 Sony / Columbia
11 Moonlight (2016) $41,677 -43% 69 7 $604 $27,768,288 24 A24
12 Before I Fall $35,616 -82% 98 -253 $363 $12,045,216 5 Open Road
13 Badrinath Ki Dulhania $31,760 -77% 26 -67 $1,222 $1,966,459 4 FIP
14 Paterson $28,629 -39% 31 -5 $924 $2,106,349 14 Bleecker Street
15 After the Storm $23,999 2% 16 6 $1,500 $109,474 3 Film Movement
16 The Founder $23,081 -23% 31 -26 $745 $12,751,693 11 Weinstein Company
17 Land of Mine $20,660 -39% 32 6 $646 $333,866 8 Sony Pictures Classics
18 Toni Erdmann $20,437 84% 5 -11 $4,087 $1,430,938 15 Sony Pictures Classics
19 Neruda $17,261 -16% 13 -6 $1,328 $892,916 16 The Orchard
20 Cezanne and I $15,744 2 $7,872 $15,744 1 Magnolia Pictures
21 Carrie Pilby $13,944 6 $2,324 $13,944 1 The Orchard
22 The Blackcoat’s Daughter $12,402 26 $477 $12,402 1 A24
23 David Lynch: The Art Life $10,823 1 $10,823 $10,823 1 Janus
24 The Eagle Huntress $10,618 14% 17 5 $625 $3,141,860 22 Sony Pictures Classics
25 20th Century Women $10,296 -30% 15 1 $686 $5,632,847 14 A24
26 The Red Turtle $9,908 -69% 17 -110 $583 $858,225 11 Sony Pictures Classics
27 The Death of Louis XIV $8,002 1 $8,002 $8,002 1 Cinema Guild
28 Mr. Gaga: A True Story of Love and Dance $7,852 349% 2 -2 $3,926 $169,706 9 Abramorama
29 Julieta $7,409 8% 14 2 $529 $1,457,196 15 Sony Pictures Classics
30 Table 19 $6,906 -60% 16 -17 $432 $3,606,977 5 Fox Searchlight
31 Elle (2016) $5,346 2% 5 -1 $1,069 $2,332,213 21 Sony Pictures Classics
32 Manchester By the Sea $4,220 -68% 10 -13 $422 $47,677,763 20 Roadside / Amazon
33 Love & Taxes $3,589 29% 2 0 $1,795 $26,414 5 Abramorama
34 The Lure $2,951 -59% 3 -1 $984 $88,427 9 Janus
35 Donald Cried $2,624 -48% 6 -3 $437 $51,379 5 The Orchard
36 Remember the Goal $1,910 1 $1,910 $118,467 32 Five & Two Pictures
37 A Woman, A Part $1,652 -72% 1 0 $1,652 $15,285 2 Strand Releasing
38 My Scientology Movie $1,565 21% 4 -1 $391 $20,583 5 Magnolia Pictures
39 The Son of Joseph $1,476 -2% 1 0 $1,476 $28,753 12 Kino Lorber
40 Who’s Crazy? $804 1 $804 $3,045 4 Kino Lorber
41 Sophie and the Rising Sun $705 -6% 2 0 $353 $30,348 11 Monterey Media
42 Bitter Harvest $680 -49% 2 -3 $340 $557,004 6 Roadside Attractions
43 Jackie $563 -86% 5 -9 $113 $13,954,026 18 Fox Searchlight
44 Keep Quiet $373 -88% 1 -1 $373 $49,899 7 Kino Lorber
45 Lovesong $270 -44% 2 -1 $135 $8,711 7 Strand Releasing
46 Suntan $178 -87% 1 0 $178 $5,954 4 Strand Releasing
47 Tim Timmerman, Hope of America $120 -81% 1 -1 $120 $87,828 5 Purdie Distribution
48 Staying Vertical $97 -61% 1 0 $97 $11,239 11 Strand Releasing
49 Anatahan (2017 re-release) $90 1 $90 $7,785 9 Kino Lorber
50 Apprentice $57 10% 1 0 $57 $1,858 5 Film Movement
51 Pelle the Conqueror (2017 Re-release) $49 -86% 1 0 $49 $8,797 6 Film Movement

Sunday Update: Just like the president he impersonates on Saturday Night Live, Alec Baldwin unexpectedly took first place in a shocking victory where he was expected to finish second. Fox’s animated comedy The Boss Baby surpassed even the most optimistic predictions, taking first place with an estimated $49.0 million opening weekend — dethroning Beauty and the Beast, which was widely expected to lead for a third straight frame.

Starring Baldwin as the voice of an infant who speaks English and doubles as a CEO, the highest that any user projected for the film on prediction website Box Office Theory was $48 million. Most projections were somewhere around $30 million or so, quite a bit behind the holdover projections for Beauty, but the film overtook Beauty nonetheless on the strength of its strong marketing campaign. It received an “A-” CinemaScore from an audience that was 53 percent female, 62 percent under age 25, and 67 percent families.

Compared to other animated titles released around the same time of year, it starts above most other similar titles: 52.1 percent ahead of the $32.2 million opening of Mr. Peabody & Sherman, 24.5 percent above the $39.3 million start of Rio 2, and 12.2 percent above the $43.6 million debut of The Croods. However, it did begin 5.9 percent below the $52.1 million start of Home.

Boss took in an estimated $15.5 million on Friday, including $1.5 million from Thursday night previews, improved an estimated 28.4 percent on Saturday to $20.0 million, and is projected to decline 32.8 percent on Sunday to $13.4 million. This places the film’s opening weekend to Friday ratio at an estimated 3.14 to 1.

The film almost everybody thought would three-peat at the top, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, was knocked off its perch and fell to second place. It fell 47.4 percent to $47.5 million, which was about what most analysts were predicting considering its nearly-equal 48.3 percent drop the weekend before. The problem is that almost nobody foresaw Boss‘s surge to beat it at the box office.

With $395.4 million earned to date, Beauty is not only by far the highest grossing film of the year so far, but this weekend it also surpassed the $364.0 million lifetime total of The Jungle Book. That film had previously been the highest grossing among the several live-action remakes of animated Disney classics which the studio had released during the past few years.

Paramount and DreamWorks’ Ghost in the Shell under-performed with an estimated $19.0 million and third place. The science-fiction action film starring Scarlett Johansson as a cyber-enhanced humanoid and based on the comic by Shirow Masamune was expected to earn somewhere around the mid-to-high $20s. Instead, it was unable to overcome the limited fame of the source material and audience fatigue after a month of more successful male-aimed action films including LoganKong: Skull Island, and Power Rangers.

Ghost began notably lower than almost every other comparable sci-fi film of the past few years: 56.7 percent below the $43.8 million opening of fellow Scarlett Johansson sci-fi movie Lucy, 48.7 percent below the $37.0 million start of Oblivion, 36.2 percent behind the $29.8 million debut of Elysium, and 33.9 percent behind the $28.7 million opening of Edge of Tomorrow. It even came in below the opening weekends of such sci-fi box office disappointments as After Earth and Ender’s Game.

Reviews were middling, including a 49 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and a “B” average CinemaScore. The audience was 61 percent male and 76 percent over age 25.

Ghost began with an estimated $7.6 million on Friday, including $1.8 million from Thursday night previews — actually beating out Boss Baby in Thursday night previews, a short-lived lead that was not to last much longer. It then declined an estimated 12.5 percent on Saturday to $6.7 million, and is projected to decline 30.7 percent on Sunday to $4.6 million. This places the film’s opening weekend to Friday ratio at an estimated 2.48 to 1.

The top 10 films this weekend earned an estimated $163.8 million. That’s 14.7 percent below the 192.1 million earned by the top 10 films last weekend. It’s also 32.6 percent behind the $243.4 million earned by the top 10 on this weekend last year, when Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice led with a $166.0 million opening.

Limited Releases:

Focus Features’ The Zookeeper’s Wife managed to crack the top 10 despite only starting in 561 theaters, about 1,500 fewer theaters than any other film in the top tier. The drama starring Jessica Chastain as an animal saver in Nazi-era Germany started with an estimated $3.3 million and 10th place.

TriStar’s T2: Trainspotting expanded its theater count from 59 to 140, improving to an estimated $400 thousand weekend. In the process, it rises from 18th place to an estimated 14th place at the box office.

The Boss Baby earned the highest per-theater average at an estimated $12,987, better than any title playing in limited release.

Overseas Update:

Beauty and the Beast may have lost its top spot at the domestic box office, but it held on strong as the foreign leader. The movie earned an estimated $66.5 million overseas weekend, down 44.2 percent, in 55 markets. Notable grosses to date include $80.6 million in China, $64.6 million in the United Kingdom, $31.2 million in Brazil, and $30.2 million in South Korea. The total is now $480.8 million overseas and $876.3 million globally, as it aims towards a likely billion-dollar global total.

Ghost in the Shell opened with a decent if not mesmerizing estimated $40.1 million overseas weekend in 52 markets. That makes it almost certain to end up notably behind the $278.5 million and counting overseas gross fellow female-led sci-fi action flick Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. Notable grosses for Ghost include $5.3 million in Russia, $4.2 million in South Korea, $3.1 million in France, and $2.8 million in the United Kingdom.

The Boss Baby took in a good $36.2 million estimated overseas weekend, up more than double, in 34 markets. (The film opened overseas ahead of its domestic release.) Notable grosses to date include $21.4 million in Russia, $6.5 million in Mexico, $5.7 million in Australia, and $5.3 million in France. The total has now earned $59.0 million overseas and $108.0 million globally.

Studio Weekend Estimates for Friday, March 31 – Sunday, April 2, 2017:

WIDE (1000+)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 The Boss Baby $49,000,000 3,773 $12,987 $49,000,000 1 Fox / DreamWorks Animation
2 Beauty and the Beast $47,543,000 -47% 4,210 0 $11,293 $395,459,842 3 Disney
3 Ghost in the Shell $19,000,000 3,440 $5,523 $19,000,000 1 Paramount / DreamWorks
4 Power Rangers $14,500,000 -64% 3,693 0 $3,926 $65,062,170 2 Lionsgate
5 Kong: Skull Island $8,800,000 -40% 3,141 -525 $2,802 $147,848,204 4 Warner Bros.
6 Logan $6,200,000 -40% 2,323 -840 $2,669 $211,867,637 5 Fox
7 Get Out $5,800,000 -34% 1,844 -630 $3,145 $156,873,960 6 Universal
8 Life (2017) $5,625,000 -55% 3,146 0 $1,788 $22,369,239 2 Sony / Columbia
9 CHiPs $4,055,000 -44% 2,464 0 $1,646 $14,367,366 2 Warner Bros.
10 The Shack $2,170,000 -44% 1,430 -900 $1,517 $53,085,007 5 Lionsgate / Summit

LIMITED (100 — 999)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 The Zookeeper’s Wife $3,350,000 541 $6,192 $3,350,000 1 Focus Features
2 The LEGO Batman Movie $800,000 -62% 812 -826 $985 $172,726,563 8 Warner Bros.
3 The Belko Experiment $561,740 -70% 473 -868 $1,188 $9,023,930 3 BH Tilt
4 Hidden Figures $425,000 -44% 352 -288 $1,207 $167,815,673 15 Fox
5 T2: Trainspotting $400,000 3% 140 81 $2,857 $1,177,507 5 Sony
6 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story $240,000 -46% 224 -43 $1,071 $531,712,496 16 Disney
7 John Wick: Chapter 2 $230,000 -50% 210 -193 $1,095 $91,295,921 8 Lionsgate / Summit
8 The Last Word $212,527 -60% 289 -91 $735 $1,482,667 5 Bleeker Street
9 Lion $211,980 -46% 175 -145 $1,211 $51,131,032 19 Weinstein Company
10 KEDi $165,500 -20% 105 -2 $1,576 $2,040,554 8 Oscilloscope Laboratories
11 Personal Shopper $159,450 -26% 150 43 $1,063 $792,850 4 IFC Films
12 Sing (2016) $143,000 -32% 202 -26 $708 $269,932,195 15 Universal
13 La La Land $142,000 -27% 143 -69 $993 $150,468,591 17 Lionsgate / Summit
14 A Dog’s Purpose $125,000 -52% 189 -110 $661 $63,658,185 10 Universal
15 Moana $117,000 -44% 175 -37 $669 $248,564,777 19 Disney
16 Wilson $115,000 -66% 311 1 $370 $592,329 2 Fox Searchlight
17 Split $90,000 -53% 141 -121 $638 $137,415,475 11 Universal
18 Rock Dog $70,000 15% 133 11 $526 $9,342,666 6 Summit Premiere
19 The Great Wall $61,140 -36% 104 -54 $588 $45,119,755 7 Universal

PLATFORM (1 — 99)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 The Devotion of Suspect X $330,000 43 $7,674 $330,000 1 China Lion Films
2 A United Kingdom $87,000 -54% 86 -73 $1,012 $3,702,965 8 Fox Searchlight
3 Frantz $85,250 79% 37 27 $2,304 $184,461 3 Music Box Films
4 The Sense Of An Ending $80,000 -71% 88 -147 $909 $80,000 4 CBS Films
5 Phillauri $76,000 -71% 65 -9 $1,169 $421,812 2 FIP
6 Raw $70,435 -9% 42 15 $1,677 $303,573 4 Focus World
7 Song To Song $58,747 -57% 95 15 $618 $325,909 3 Broad Green Pictures
8 Donnie Darko (15th Anniversary Re-Release) $53,200 21 $2,533 $53,200 1 Arrow Films
9 Moonlight (2016) $48,000 -34% 69 7 $696 $27,774,611 24 A24
10 Before I Fall $36,247 -82% 98 -253 $370 $12,045,847 5 Open Road
11 Paterson $33,782 -31% 31 -5 $1,090 $2,114,806 14 Bleecker Street
12 The Salesman $30,220 -36% 37 2 $817 $60,440 10 Cohen Media Group
13 The Founder $20,460 -32% 31 -26 $660 $12,749,072 11 Weinstein Company
14 I Called Him Morgan $20,437 44% 5 4 $4,087 $40,546 2 Submarine Deluxe
15 David Lynch: The Art Life $12,126 1 $12,126 $12,126 1 Janus
16 Tim Timmerman, Hope of America $120 -81% 1 -1 $120 $87,828 5 Purdie Distribution