The Grinch’s heart may be full of unwashed socks and his soul full of gunk, with the three words best describing him being—and I quote—“stink, stank, stunk”, but Illumination’s animated Dr. Seuss remake is having a wonderful Christmas time at the box office. The film nabbed $18.6 million in its first Friday night, on track for a mean $67 million opening weekend. Those billboards that make fun of your hometown for having no bike lanes or whatever are working, is what I’m saying.
Benedict Cumberbatchlends his voice to the surly green Who-hatin' curmudgeon, leading a cast that also includesKenan Thompson,Rashida Jones,Angela Lansbury, andPharrell Williams. The film—which earned an A- Cinemascore with audiences—is a “bauble designed to distract children for an hour and a half”, according to our own Matt Goldberg’sreview, but I suppose that’s part of the film’s success. The only animated competition at the box office right now isSmallfoot, which debuted almost two months ago.
Bohemian Rhapsodycontinues to rock right along with an $8.4 million Friday night, a 140% increase from the film’s first Friday. TheRami Malek-starring Queen biopic easily beat out this weekend’s two newcomersOverlordandThe Girl in the Spider’s Web, which came in third and fourth at the box office, respectively.Overlord—Julius Avery’s WWII-set mutant Nazi action flick—took in $3.75 million on Friday night, whileFede Alvarez’s entry in theGirl with the Dragon Tattoouniverse inked a subpar $3 million.
Rounding out the top isThe Nutcracker and the Four Realms, which cracked open $2.3 million in its second Friday night, another tiny notch on the slow road to recouping the film’s whopping $125 million budget.
Take a look at Friday’s numbers below and check back tomorrow for full weekend estimates. (Numbers viaBox Office Mojo)
Dr. Seuss' The Grinch
$18,670,000
Bohemian Rhapsody
$8,465,000
$77,625,548
$3,750,000
The Girl in the Spider’s Web
$3,000,000
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
$2,373,000
$157,684,566
