20th Century Fox racing drama Ford v. Ferrari has come out on top as another weekend box office race kicks off. The based-on-a-true-story flick starring Christian Bale and Matt Damon reeled in $10.9 million domestically, with $2.1 million of that Friday total actually reflecting monies earned during domestic Thursday night previews. Ford v. Ferrari opened in 3,528 locations across the U.S., averaging $3,101 per theater.
Ford v. Ferrari takes us back to the 1960s as it tells the story of car designer Carroll Shelby's (Damon) partnership with driver Ken Miles (Bale) as they try to create a Ford car fast enough to beat the unbeatable Ferrari during 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966. With positive reviews and early awards season buzz swirling around the James Mangold-directed picture, it's should come as no surprise the film has come out on top. It also doesn't hurt that Ford v. Ferrari is led by fan-favorite actors Damon and Bale, for what it's worth.
Fellow newcomer Charlie's Angels didn't fare as well in its first few days in theaters. The Elizabeth Banks-directed reboot scooped up a meager $900,000 during domestic Thursday night previews and ultimately earned $3.15 million domestic heading into Saturday. The Sony Pictures release opened in 3,452 locations and averaged just $913 per theater — one of the worst per-theater averages for a new movie in its first Friday in recent memory. The latest Charlie's Angels take stars Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, and Ella Balinska as the titular super spies. Even with an estimated budget of $48 million and even with the promise of improving its momentum as the weekend progresses, this second reboot on the popular '70s TV show is off to a stumble-filled start.
As the newcomers go into their first weekend as the box office, three of last week's newbies are entering their second box office weekend with some interesting numbers to report. Veteran's Day weekend champ Midway has dropped to the number three spot with $2.5 million earned domestically, denoting a 61% drop from week-to-week. This brings Midway's homefront total up to $28.9 million while abroad its current total is $18.6 million. With a current global total of $45 million, Roland Emmerich's big WWII movie has yet to hit even half of its reported $100 million budget and that could be a sore spot for Lionsgate.
Bringing up the rear in fourth place is the Paul Feig-directed dramedy Last Christmas starring Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding. The festive flick earned $2 million flat in its second domestic theatrical Friday, bringing its U.S. total up to $17.9 million. In fifth place is the John Cena starrer Playing With Fire, which took its $1.9 million domestic, added it to its coffers, and brought its overall total over $18.9 million.
For more on Ford v. Ferrari, check out our lighthearted interview (there's a singalong!) with stars Christian Bale and Matt Damon. Also, be sure to read the glowing review from Collider's own Adam Chitwood.
Rank |
Title |
Friday |
Total |
1. |
Ford v. Ferrari |
$10,941,000 |
$10,941,000 |
2. |
Charlie's Angels |
$3,150,000 |
$3,150,000 |
3. |
Midway |
$2,500,000 |
$28,890,773 |
4. |
Last Christmas |
$2,000,000 |
$17,875,765 |
5. |
Playing With Fire |
$1,900,000 |
$18,847,824 |