'Toy Story 4' tops 'Annabelle' in sluggish summer weekend
The battle of the toys at the box office continues — and Toy Story 4 emerges victorious once again.
After coming in ahead of the Child’s Play remake on both of their opening weekends, now Toy Story 4 beats out haunted toy horror flick Annabelle Comes Home for a second consecutive weekend in the number one box office slot. The Disney-Pixar franchise film wins the weekend with an estimated $57.9 million in ticket sales across 4,575 theaters. Two new releases round out the top three with horror franchise entry Annabelle Comes Home taking second place with an estimated $20.4 million in ticket sales and Beatles-musical fantasy Yesterday landing in third place with an estimated $17 million take.
Though Toy Story 4 fell by 52 percent in its second weekend, it still is raking in impressive numbers, posting an estimated cumulative domestic total of $236.9 million in only two weeks in theaters. The continued adventures of Buzz and Woody are performing well overseas, bringing the animated film’s global total to $496.5 million.
Annabelle Comes Home debuts in second place in keeping with expectations for the New Line horror entry. This is the third entry in the Annabelle franchise, an extension of the Conjuring Universe, after 2014’s Annabelle and 2017’s Annabelle: Creation. With an opening weekend total of $20.4 million, it marks the lowest opening for any film in the Conjuring franchise, including both previous Annabelle titles which opened to $37.1 million and $35 million respectively.
The R-rated Warner Bros. title finds Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga reprising their roles as Ed and Lorraine Warren from the Conjuring films, and it also stars Mckenna Grace, Steve Coulter, Katie Sarife, and Madison Isema. As one might expect, the film follows the horrific turn of events when Ed and Lorraine welcome the demonic doll known as Annabelle into their home. Gary Dauberman, who wrote the first two Annabelle films, makes directorial debut. Neither critics nor audiences have responded warmly to the film with tepid reviews and a disappointing B- CinemaScore.
Despite the clear franchise fatigue that has been driving box office numbers lower this summer, original title Yesterday lands in third place with an estimated $17 million in ticket sales. The title exceeded expectations, marking a win for fresh material at a box office dominated by franchise entries and remakes. It also marks director Danny Boyle’s best opening ever, coming in ahead of 2000’s The Beach opening take of $15.3 million.
With a script from rom-com vet Richard Curtis, Yesterday tells the story of Jack Malik (Hamish Patel), a young man who wakes up after an accident to find he’s the only person on Earth to remember the music of The Beatles. With the support of childhood friend Ellie (Lily James), he sets out to pass the songs off as his own in an attempt to gain the success he’s craved as a singer-songwriter. Kate McKinnon and Ed Sheeran (as himself!) also star. Despite mild reviews, the film seems to be clicking with audiences, earning a solid A- CinemaScore.
Two films continued to rake in global box office dollars to hit major milestones. John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum crossed the $300 million mark worldwide this weekend, while Avengers: Endgame returned to theaters in a renewed bid to pass Avatar as the highest-grossing film of all time. Avatar still holds the crown with a global total of $2.79 billion, but Avengers: Endgame is hot on its heels with a global total of $2.76 billion after adding $5.5 million to its stores this weekend.
Films in their sixth and fourth week of release respectively round out the top five for the weekend. Disney’s live action Aladdin continues to hold strong, adding $9.3 million to its total for fourth place at the box office. It now boasts a global total of $874.2 million, which makes it the highest-grossing film of Will Smith’s career on the global stage, surpassing his record of Independence Day’s $821 million haul. Animated sequel The Secret Life of Pets 2 completes the top five for the weekend, taking in $7.1 million in its fourth weekend in theaters.
Overall box office is down 9.5 percent to date, according to Comscore. With lackluster summer returns, this number continues to creep back up after Avengers: Endgame knocked it down significantly earlier this year. Check out the June 28-30 numbers below.
1. Toy Story 4 — $57.9 million
2. Annabelle Comes Home— $20.4 million
3. Yesterday — $17 million
4. Aladdin— $9.3 million
5. Secret Life of Pets 2 — $7.1 million
6. Men In Black: International — $6.6 million
7. Avengers: Endgame — $5.5 million
8. Child’s Play— $4.3 million
9. Rocketman — $3.9 million
10. John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum — $3.2 million
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