‘Judas and the Black Messiah,’ ‘Croods 2’ in Tight Box Office Race with $2 Million Each
Despite approaching the end of its third month in theaters, Universal/DreamWorks Animation’s “The Croods: A New Age” is in a narrow race to take back the top spot at the pandemic box office with Warner Bros.’ “Judas and the Black Messiah,” with both films making around $2 million this weekend.
While the winner won’t be determined until final totals come in for Presidents’ Day weekend on Tuesday, “Croods: A New Age” for now is claiming the No. 1 spot, reporting a total of $2.04 million over three days and $2.66 million over four days from 1,890 screens. If it holds on to No. 1, it would be the first time “Croods 2” has topped the charts since the weekend of Dec. 11, when the film was beginning its run on premium video on-demand. With this result, “Croods 2” now has a global total of $151 million, with just under $49 million from domestic theaters.
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“Judas and the Black Messiah” debuted on 1,888 screens as well as on HBO Max this weekend as part of Warner Bros.’ year-long day-and-date release strategy. Theatrically, the film earned an estimated $2 million over three days and $2.4 million over four days. Starring Daniel Kaluuya as Black Panther Party Chairman Fred Hampton and LaKeith Stanfield as Bill O’Neal, the FBI informant who provided the information that allowed federal agents to assassinate Hampton. “Judas” has received critical acclaim with a 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes and an A from audiences on CinemaScore. Kaluuya has received a Golden Globe and SAG Award nomination for his performance.
Also in the narrow race is Warner Bros.’ “The Little Things,” which is in its third weekend and is estimated to make $2.4 million over four days, which would currently put it in a virtual tie with “Judas and the Black Messiah.” The crime thriller starring Denzel Washington, Jared Leto and Rami Malek has made $10.6 million to date. A third Warner Bros. film, “Wonder Woman 1984,” is estimated to pick up $1.3 million over the four-day weekend, giving it a $41.8 million domestic total and putting it in a near-tie for fourth this weekend with Open Road’s “The Marksman,” which is also estimated to earn $1.3 million over the extended weekend for a $10.6 million domestic total.
Focus Features’ “Land,” the directorial debut of “House of Cards” star Robin Wright was also released this weekend and is estimated to make $1.1 million over four days from 1,231 theaters. STX’s “The Mauritanian,” which earned a surprise Golden Globe nomination for lead star Tahar Rahim as a man imprisoned in Guantanamo without charges, earned $170,000 over four days from 245 screens.
Meanwhile, in China, the box office has enjoyed a strong Lunar New Year turnout despite COVID-19 protocols still being enforced. Wanda’s “Detective Chinatown 3,” which was originally set for release a year ago before being delayed by the pandemic, is estimated to earn a staggering $393 million in its opening weekend. While audience reception has not been as strong as the two previous “Detective Chinatown” films, the threequel has now broken the record set by “Avengers: Endgame” for the highest opening weekend ever in a single market, beating the Marvel blockbuster’s $354 million North American launch in 2019.
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