Last weekend, the mighty Star Wars: The Force Awakens was finally dethroned by Ride Along 2, after four straight weeks of box office. While it certainly seems that its days at the top of the box office heap are over, the film still had the widest release of any movie last weekend, even after shedding more than 300 theaters in its fifth weekend, a trend which will continue into its sixth. Still, even if it posts another minimal decrease this weekend, it won't regain the top spot for the weekend of January 22, with Ride Along 2 most likely set to stay on top, according to projections from Pro.BoxOffice.com.
Ride Along 2 faces three new movies this weekend, Sony's sci-fi action drama The 5th Wave, Lionsgate's R-rated comedy Dirty Grandpa and STX Entertainment's horror-thriller The Boy, none of which are expected to take down Ride Along 2. After a healthy $35.2 million debut, Ride Along 2 is expected to remain in first place with an estimated $16.5 million. The Revenant, which is riding a wave of buzz thanks to 12 Oscar nominations, is expected to stay put in second place with $15.2 million, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens remaining in third place with $14.8 million.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens got off to an incredible start last month with a record-breaking opening weekend of $247.9 million, and its second weekend record of $149.2 million is just as impressive. It dropped just 39.8% in its second weekend, which is incredible for a movie of this size, and 39.5% in its third weekend, setting another record with $90.2 million. Last weekend, it finally suffered a "normal" drop, dipping 53.1% to win again with $43.1 million, but it wasn't enough to overtake Avatar's fourth weekend record of $50.3 million. Star Wars: The Force Awakens dropped 40.7% this weekend, for a fifth frame total of $25.1 million, dropping out of the top spot for the first time in its record-breaking run. It seems unlikely that this record breaking blockbuster will ever return to take the top spot, but anything is possible. It currently stands at $858.4 million domestically and $1.87 billion worldwide.
Among the three new releases, The 5th Wave is expected to fare the best, with a projected $12 million, putting it in fourth place. In The 5th Wave, set in the present day, four waves of increasingly deadly attacks have left most of Earth decimated. Against a backdrop of fear and distrust, 16-year-old Cassie is on the run, desperately trying to save her younger brother. As she prepares for the inevitable and lethal 5th wave, Cassie meets a young man who may become her final hope. Chloe Moretz stars alongside Nick Robinson, Alex Roe, Ron Livingston, Maggie Siff, Maika Monroe and Liev Schreiber
The Boy will round out the top 5 with $11.5 million, with Dirty Grandpa debuting in sixth place with $10 million. The Boy follows Greta (Lauren Cohan), a young American woman who takes a job as a nanny in a remote English village, only to discover that the family's 8-year-old is a life-sized doll that the parents care for just like a real boy, as a way to cope with the death of their actual son 20 years prior. After violating a list of strict rules, a series of disturbing and inexplicable events bring Greta's worst nightmare to life, leading her to believe that the doll is actually alive. The supporting cast includes Rupert Evans, Ben Robson, Diana Hardcastle and Jim Norton.
Dirty Grandpa centers on Jason Kelly (Zac Efron), who is one week away from marrying his boss' uber-controlling daughter (Julianne Hough), putting him on the fast track for a partnership at the law firm. However, when the straight-laced Jason is tricked into driving his foul-mouthed grandfather, Dick (Robert De Niro), to Daytona for spring break, his pending nuptials are suddenly in jeopardy. Between riotous frat parties, bar fights, and an epic night of karaoke, Dick is on a quest to live his life to the fullest and bring Jason along for the ride.
Ultimately, on the wildest journey of their lives, "dirty" Grandpa and his uptight grandson discover they can learn from one another and form the bond they never had. This outlandish comedy also stars Zoey Deutch, Aubrey Plaza, Dermot Mulroney, Jason Mantzoukas, Henry Zebrowski and Adam Pally. Rounding out the top 10 this weekend will be will be 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi ($9.2 million), Daddy's Home ($5.7 million), Norm of the North ($3.1 million) and The Forest ($2.9 million). It's possible that The Big Short could take the 10th spot as well, coming off plenty of Oscar nomination buzz, and the fact that it dropped just 14.2% last weekend, but we'll have to wait and see.
Opening in limited release this weekend is Well Go USA's highly-anticipated action sequel Ip Man 3, Magnolia's Synchronicity, FilmRise's Monster Hunt, which is the most successful movie ever in China, Lionsgate Premiere's Exposed, Freestyle Releasing's Caged No More, Big World Pictures' Aferim! and A24's Mojave. It remains to be seen if any of these indie titles will expand nationwide following their limited rollout, but we'll keep you posted with updates as soon as they come in. In the meantime, take a look at the box office estimates for this weekend, starting January 22, and be sure to check back on Tuesday for next weekend's box office predictions.
PREDICTED WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: