‘The Croods: A New Age’ Returns To The Top Spot In Its Twelfth Week Of Release With $2 Million Over Slow Presidents' Day Weekend
It feels like they’ve been hanging around in the Top 5 at the box office since, well, the Stone Age. And now, over a slow Presidents' Day weekend, the persistence of those prehistoric protagonists has finally paid off as The Croods: A New Age returned to the top spot in its twelfth week in theaters, edging out Warner Bros.’ critically acclaimed newcomer, Judas and the Black Messiah.

The animated sequel from Universal and DreamWorks pulled in a hair over $2 million domestically between Friday and Sunday, ticking up +21.4% from the previous weekend and returning to No. 1 for the first time since December 11, and an estimate for a total of $2.7 million for the four-day frame. Even though the PG-rated film has been available on premium VOD for two months, its long theatrical legs have made it one of the few COVID-era box-office success stories. The Croods 2 scored a $1,079 per-screen average in 1,890 theaters over the weekend, bringing its North American tally to $48.9 million. It has added $102.5 million overseas to date, bringing its cumulative worldwide total to an impressive $151.4 million.

In what was essentially a tight photo finish, Warner Bros.’ historical drama, Judas and the Black Messiah, had to settle for second place. The R-rated film, which stars Daniel Kaluuya as slain Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton, debuted to an estimated $2 million exactly, with an estimate of $2.4 million for the full holiday. Judas managed a $1,059 per-screen average in 1,888 theaters. It also bowed on the HBO Max streaming service over the weekend. Already a strong awards-season hopeful (lead actor Kaluuya has received nods from the Golden Globes and SAG Awards), Judas should stick around for a while thanks to its juicy 96% Fresh rating from critics on RottenTomatoes and its ‘A’ grade from CinemaScore.

In third place was Denzel Washington’s The Little Things, which racked up just shy of $1.9 million in its third week of release. Also available on HBO Max, Warner Bros.’ R-rated crime thriller fell from the No. 1 slot, dipping -10.5% from the previous frame. The film, which also stars Rami Malek and Jared Leto and revolves around two cops hunting a serial killer, earned a $899 per-screen average in 2,090 theaters. Its three-week total in North America now stands at just under $9.7 million. Overseas, where HBO Max is not available, The Little Things has added $6.4 million so far, bringing its worldwide cumulative box office to $17 million.

In fourth place was yet another Warner Bros. title, Wonder Woman 1984, which lassoed $1.3 million in its eighth weekend. The superhero sequel, whose total domestic gross now stands at $41.8 million, got a +43.6% bounce from the prior session, scoring a $773 per-screen average in 1,681 theaters. However, the PG-13-rated DC title continues to perform better overseas, where it has pulled in $115.2 million thus far, bringing its cumulative global box office to $157 million.

Rounding out the Top 5 was Liam Neeson’s The Marksman, which brought in $1.1 million in its fifth weekend. The PG-13-rated border thriller from Open Road Films fell ticked up +14.6% from last week, nabbing a $602 per-screen average in 1,825 theaters. The aging action hero’s latest has pulled in $10.6 million domestically and $3.2 million abroad, bringing its worldwide total to $13.8 million. Bubbling just under the Top 5 was Focus Features’ newcomer, Land, which grossed $940,000 in its debut weekend. The PG-13-rated indie, which marks the feature directorial debut of actress Robin Wright and tells the story of a bereaved woman seeking to start a new life off the grid in Wyoming, wrangled a $763 per-screen average in 1,231 locations.

Meanwhile, the biggest box-office fireworks took place half a world away in China. Audiences turned out in droves to celebrate the Lunar New Year, resulting in a rare bit of good news during the industry-wide slump during the past year’s pandemic. The biggest winner was bumbling mystery caper, Detective Chinatown 3. The sequel came out of the gate to a staggering $397 million in the country, making it the biggest opening weekend ever in a single market, beating out previous record holder Avengers: Endgame’s $357 million in North America in 2019. The only question is whether it’s merely a one-time fluke or a glimmer of promise that the North American movie business might hopefully duplicate in the not-too-distant future.