‘SpongeBob,’ ‘Boonie Bears’ and ‘Big Hero 6’ Are Big at Box Office
Disney’s Strange Magic, produced by its Lucasfilm Animation Singapore division, is poised to break a record—but it’s not the kind of record a film studio wants to break: the lowest-grossing animated feature ever released in 3000-plus theaters. In its sophomore weekend, the film dropped from seventh to ninth place, earning $3.4 million. Its total gross now stands at $9.9 million.
What’s the lowest-grossing animated feature ever released in 3,000-plus theaters? It’s the 2009 CG film Astro Boy with $19.6 million. That film is followed closely by Robert Zemeckis’s mo-cap disaster Mars Needs Moms ($21.4 million) and the infamous Warner Bros. trainwreck Quest for Camelot ($22.5 million). Unless audiences suddenly discover that ideas “from the mind of George Lucas” are worth paying money for, Strange Magic should gross less than any of those other films.
Meanwhile Paddington, the live-action film with a CG-animated bear in the lead, moved up one spot from third to second in its 3rd weekend. The film grossed an estimated $8.5 million, boosting its overall total to $50.5 million. Worldwide the film has taken $198.5 million, a significant amount for a European-funded film that was produced outside of the traditional U.S. studio system.
In Mexico, The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water opened in first place with $6.7 million. SpongeBob bowed in 5 territories in advance of its U.S. opening this weekend. Its total after one weekend is $8 million.
In the UK, Disney’s Big Hero 6 opened in first place with $6.8 million (including previews). In Japan, the film has held first place for 5 weeks in a row and grossed $63 million to date. BH6 has taken $266 million internationally and $218 in the States for a grand total of $484.7 million. It’ll pass the $500 million milestone later this week.
In China, Boonie Bears: Mystical Winter, the sequel to last year’s hit Boonie Bears, opened with $14.5 million. The amount is slightly less than the original film’s $16.2 million launch, but still impressive for a locally made animation production.
