Hotel Transylvania franchise’s third installment ruled over the box office this weekend after it raked in an estimate of $46.4 million from its opening weekend in 42 international markets. In comparison, Dwayne Johnson’s blockbuster film Skyscraper fell behind with a gross revenue of $40.4 million.
Hotel Transylvania Leads Box Office
It was a tight three-way race between Ant Man and the Wasp, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation Skyscraper this weekend but surprisingly, Hotel Transylvania’s third installment came out on top with a gross revenue of $46.4 million from the opening weekend, and even though the results are great news for Sony, low revenues for summertime movies are an alarming sign of box office slowdown.
Overall, this weekend’s box office returns are quite similar to last year where two films earned higher gross revenue than any other films this weekend: War for the Planet of the Apes earned a total of $56 million during its opening weekend, which was considered a disappointment in comparison to Spider-Man: Homecoming’s $117 million. Nevertheless, box office earnings are 9 per cent greater than last year.
The latest installment of the Hotel Transylvania series is also the first release of summer this year, bringing in an adjusted gross of $44 million – not even close to the earnings made by the first two installments which hit the box office by the end of September – their debut timing an indication of less competition from other films.
In 2017, Despicable Me 3 became the best animated film of the summer, opening at $72 million on the box office overseas. In comparison, Cars 3’s $53 million felt a little weak. This summer, Transylvania – which cost over $80 million to make – is good enough to generate gross revenue of $54 million overseas.
Skyscraper’s Disappointing Opening
On the other hand, film ‘Skyscraper’ – a Die Hard replicate which cost $140 million to make – is the third film released in the past eight months starring the guaranteed hitmaker Dwayne Johnson. But after an unimpressive opening for his latest film, it seems like Johnson’s effervescent charm is wearing off and Skyscraper was only able to generate a paltry gross revenue of $40.4 million.
Before Skyscraper, Johnson’s Rampage, which released in April, was equally unimpressive with its $35 million opening, although the film was able to generate $100 million on domestic box office and almost $300 million overseas. In the end, the film which cost only $120 million was able to generate plenty of profit on the box office, clear indication towards Johnson’s ability to turn a regular release into a box office hit. But the situation is quite the opposite this time around as a film with $140 million budget has only been able to generate $25 million in the domestic market.
To give an idea of just exactly how disappointing Skyscraper’s opening was in comparison to Dwayne Johnson’s other films, it didn’t even make it on his list of top 15 box office debuts – even forgettable films like Journey 2: The Mysterious Island performed better. With its $125 million budget – not including the pricy Super Bowl ad – Skyscraper will now have to hope for a stronger opening in its overseas markets in order to make a profit.
Other Box Office Releases
Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp came in second place on the box office with gross revenue of $200 million in domestic market and $500 million overseas. Although the film fell by 62 per cent in its second week – not uncommon for a Marvel film that opens over $100 million.
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation made the strongest debut on the box office among the three summer releases grossing $46.4 million from its 42 international markets. The family film, featuring the voices of Selena Gomez, Adam Sandler, Kathryn Hahn and Andy Samberg, earned $23 million in Latin America, $5.8 million in Russia and $2.4 million in Australia. It is expecting a big opening in Italy, South Korea, France, Germany and United Kingdom next.
Elsewhere, Sorry to Bother You, a breakout by Boots Riley’s Sundance, has managed to climb up to the top 10 list despite opening in only 805 theatres and having a paltry budget of $4 million. The film’s expansion relied on word of mouth and a unique storyline in the midst of a franchise and sequel-laden season.