FILE PHOTO: Actors Samuel L. Jackson and James McAvoy attend the European premiere of “Glass” in London, Britain January 9, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls/File Photo
January 20, 2019
By Rebecca Rubin
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – M. Night Shyamalan’s “Glass” topped box office charts during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, collecting $40 million over the weekend for a four-day sum of $47 million.
If estimates hold, “Glass” will come in behind “American Sniper” ($107 million) and “Ride Along” ($48 million) as the third-best showing for both January and MLK holiday weekend.
The supernatural thriller, a sequel to 2000’s “Unbreakable” and 2016’s “Split,” came in slightly behind Universal Pictures’ projections heading into the weekend. It’s still a solid showing, to be sure, given the movie’s $20 million budget. But given the cult status of “Unbreakable” and the surprise success of “Split,” industry watchers were anticipating a stronger start for “Glass.”
Shyamalan self-financed “Glass,” leaving marketing and distribution to Universal in the States and Buena Vista International for the overseas rollout.
The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday usually sees a number of new offerings, but studios largely sat this weekend out to make room for “Glass.” With that said, a number of holdovers rounded out box office charts.
STX Films and Lantern Entertainment’s “The Upside” saw a surprisingly strong second weekend, adding another $15.67 million over the three-day frame. The film is projected to earn $19.5 million for the four-day weekend, which would put its domestic tally at $47.82 million. Overseas, the comedic drama starring Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston has made $4.1 million from 33 markets.
“The Upside’s” weekend haul was enough to secure second place, while Warner Bros.’ “Aquaman” looks to come in at No. 3. DC’s latest superhero adventure, starring Jason Momoa as the Atlantean King, crossed a major milestone in North America. “Aquaman” has now surpassed $300 million in ticket sales after adding $10 million in its fifth week of release. Globally, the aquatic tentpole has generated over $1 billion in box office revenues.
A surprise contender, Japanese anime film “Dragon Ball Super: Broly,” could surpass “Aquaman” for third place when final numbers come in on Monday. The sci-fi fantasy secured a huge $7 million debut on Wednesday and is expected to bring in around $10 million over the four-day holiday for a domestic total of $20 million. “Broly,” the 20th film in the “Dragon Ball” series, has pocketed $50 million internationally.
Meanwhile, two Sony titles will duke it out for fifth place. “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” and “A Dog’s Way Home” each pulled in $7 million over the three-day frame and should make around $9 million with Monday’s bounty. That would bring the domestic tally of “Spider-Verse” to $161 million and “A Dog’s Way Home” to $24 million.
