‘Ride Along 2’ ends box office reign of ‘Force Awakens’

Leonardo DiCaprio’s The Revenant, powered by 12 Oscar nominations and key wins at the Golden Globes, surged forward on its second weekend to overtake The Force Awakens with $4.6 million (€4.15 million), improving on its opening bow by 15 percent. Falling a lower-than-expected 38%, it has now grossed a staggering $129.2 million domestically. The ticket sale erosion could be contributed to overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics as well as competition from the likes of Star Wars and The Revenant among other titles. “Ride Along 2” roared into theaters and drove off with the top spot, overtaking the latest chapter in the space saga from the top spot it’s held for four weeks. “Brooklyn” grossed $1.7 million, a 57 percent week-to-week increase, while “Spotlight” pulled in $1.6 million, a 67 percent increase. Despite Oscar nods, the film is his worst performing film since Grindhouse, though it has performed far better comparatively, with the similarly acclaimed Grindhouse achieving only $25 million on a $67 million budget. Since then, three Star Wars series have been released up until 2005, which earned less than $20 million cumulatively. It should pass the $100 million mark in the Middle Kingdom sometime next week, although it will be unable to match the almost $400 million worth of business that “Furious 7” did in China past year.

According to The Economist, the cumulative sales in Chinese box offices soared 40% annually from 2003 to 2010; the earning from Chinese cinemas surpasses those of Japan, the second biggest market.

13 Hours, recounts the US military operatives who defended the US Embassy compound in Benghazi from a terrorist attack that left four dead, including US Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens.

Daddy’s Home rounded out the top five, earning $9.3 million to bring its total to $129.3 million, It would seem Will Ferrell still has some draw at the box office despite a recent string of underperforming comedies before the release of Daddy’s Home. “The Last Witch Hunter”, $9.3 million. 7. Ride Along 2’s three-day gross of $35.3 million (counting Martin Luther King Day, it earned $41.5 million) is less than the $41.5 million its predecessor opened to in 2014 while still being enough to give it the fourth-highest MLK weekend opening of all time. “Sisters”, $5.5 million. 10. The Hateful Eight followed right behind with $3.4 million.