Last week, it looked like this weekend would seeScarlett Johanssonand androids inGhost in the Shellfacing off withEmma Watsonand a swanky, motion-captured monster inBeauty and the Beast. In speaking about the showdown last weekend, I added that Dreamworks’The Boss Babycould put some pressure onBeauty and the Beastin the kids/early teens demographic. Well, as it turns out,The Boss Babyis looking like the biggest title at the box office right now, puttingGhost in the Shellin third place and also keepingBeauty and the Beastat bay.
At least that’s what the Friday numbers have been bearing out thus far. ThoughGhost in the Shelldid the best on Thursday, it brought in a surprisingly meager $7.6 million on Friday, distancing the opener fromBoss Baby’s impressive $15.5 million take andBeauty’s $13 million. Originally marked for a low $40 million total for the weekend,The Boss Babynow looks to be closer to $50 million and maybe even more, meaning that it’s very possible that it could dethroneBeautyin the Disney film’s third frame, where it’s looking at a high $40 million take by the end of Sunday. This would putThe Boss Babyin the same realm as previous DreamWorks Animation hits like 2015’s insufferableHomeand last year’s bizarreTrollsadaptation as far as opening weekend expectations.
One should expectKong: Skull Island($2.3 million) andPower Rangers($4 million) to take the fourth and fifth spot, sendingLoganandLifetumbling down into the lower half of the top ten alongsideGet Out,CHIPS, and low-level openers likeThe Zookeeper’s Wife. As forGhost in the Shell, many may try to pin this on the fact that the movie’s whitewashing problem caused its dip but that doesn’t exactly make sense to me. Whitewashing is still hugely acceptable by the majority of moviegoers and one does not need charts or graphs to prove that. The problem is that the movie looks like dozens of other movies at this point and the fact that it’s adapted from a classic means little to most people who buy the tickets. The originalGhost in the Shell’s influence has been felt for so long that a live-action reimagining just doesn’t quite thrill anymore. A talking baby cartoon, on the other hand…
