1st Quarter Box Office Report. Twelve categories!
Sunday, March 31, 2019 at 4:10PM With the first quarter wrapping up, let's break down the year at the box office (thus far). It's much more interesting to break it down into types of films and see which films most interested the ticket-buying public. Figure are as of March 31st, 2019. Since many of these are still open, these aren't final results but we thought it would be a fun snapshot of this moment, 1/4th of the way through the calendar year. (One final note: We did not include Fathom Events and other non-traditional styles of release because those numbers aren't directly comparable and often make less sense. i.e. if you couldn't see it at regular showtimes in a theater somewhere it's not included.)
TOP GROSSING FILMS WITH A FEMALE LEAD
(Excluding films where a male lead is just as prominent as his female co-star)
What Men Want
01 Captain Marvel (Disney/Marvel) $353.9 starring Brie Larson. March 29th
02 Us (Universal) $127.8 starring Lupita Nyong'o. March 22nd
03 Alita Battle Angel (Fox) $84.9 starring Rosa Salazar. Feb 14th
04 What Men Want (Paramount) $54.4 starring Taraji P Henson. Feb 8th...
05 Isn't it Romantic? (Warner Bros) $48.1 starring Rebel Wilson. Feb 13th
06 Fighting With My Family (MGM) $22.5 starring Florence Pugh. Feb 14th
07 Miss Bala (Sony) $15 starring Gina Rodriguez. Feb 1st
08 Greta (Focus) $10.5 starring Isabelle Huppert & Chloe Moretz. March 1st
09 Unplanned (PureFlix) $6.3 starring Ashley Bratcher. March 29th
10 Gloria Bell (A24) $4.1 starring Julianne Moore. March 8th
Runner Up: Climax (A24) $781k starring Sofia Boutella. March 1st
TOP GROSSING FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILMS
The Wandering Earth
01 No Manches Frida 2 (Pantelion / Spanish) $8 March 15th
02 The Wandering Earth (CMC / Mandarin) $5.8 Feb 5th
If you look at the global box office this Chinese sci-fi film is actually the second highest grossing film of 2019 (at this writing) after Captain Marvel, with nearly $700 million in the bank.
03 Gully Boy (Viva Pictures / Hindi) $5.5 Feb 14th
04 Uri: Surgical Strike (PackYourBag / Hindi) $4.1 Jan 11th
05 Everybody Knows (Focus / Spanish) $2.6 Feb 8th
06 Total Dhamaal (FIP/Hindi) $2.1 Feb 22nd
07 Badla (Reliance/Hindi) $1.8 March 8th
08 Extreme Job (CJ/Korean) $1.5 Jan 25th
09 Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (FIP/Hindi) $1.1 Feb 1st
10 Never Look Away (Sony Pictures Classics / German) $1.1 Jan 25th
TOP GROSSING FILMS THAT NEVER WENT INTO WIDE RELEASE
No Manches Frida 2
01 No Manches Frida 2 (Pantelion) $8 March 15th (472 theaters at widest)
02 Apollo 11 (Neon) $7.6 March 1st (588 theaters at widest)
03 The Wandering Earth (CMC) $5.8 Feb 5th (129 theaters at widest)
04 Gully Boy (Viva Pictures) $5.5 Feb 14th (270 theaters at widest)
05 Uri: Surgical Strike (PackYourBag) $4.1 Jan 11th (132 theaters at widest)
06 Oscar Nominated Shorts (Shorts) $3.5 Feb 8th (415 theaters at widest)
07 Everybody Knows (Focus) $2.6 Feb 8th (282 theater at widest)
08 Arctic (Bleecker Street) $2.3 Feb 1st (268 theaters at widest)
09 Total Dhamaal (FIP) $2.1 Feb 22nd (209 theaters at widest)
10 Badla (Reliance) $1.8 March 8th (115 theaters at widest)
Runners Up: Extreme Job (26 theaters at widest) and The Kid (268 theaters at widest)
TOP GROSSING DOCUMENTARIES
Apollo 11
01 Apollo 11 (Neon) $7.6 March 1st
02 Oscar Nominated Shorts (Shorts) $3.5 Feb 8th
03 Who Will Write Our History (Abramorama) $117k Jan 18th
04 A Tuba to Cuba (Blue Fox) $91k Feb 15th
05 What is Democracy? (Zeitgeist) $40k Jan 16th
06 Wrestle (Oscilloscope) $23k Feb 22nd
07 The Gospel of Eureka (Kino Lorber) $19k Feb 8th
08 The Brink (Magnolia) $18k March 28th
09 Joseph Pulitzer: Voice of the People (First Run) $16k March 1st
10 Combat Obscura (Oscilloscope) $12k March 15th
Runner Up: Screwball (Greenwich) which just opened this weekend with $12k and Black Mother (Grasshopper) $11k which opened on March 9th
TOP GROSSING FILMS DIRECTED BY A WOMAN
(apologies if we missed someone)
Miss Bala
01 Captain Marvel $353.9 (Disney/Marvel) co-directed by Anna Boden. March 8th
02 Miss Bala $15 (Sony)directed by Catherine Hardwicke. Feb 1st
03 Gully Boy (Viva Pictures / Hindi) $5.5 directed by Zoya Akhtar. Feb 14th
04 Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (FIP/Hindi) $1.1 directed by Shelly Chopra Dhar. Feb 1st
05 Birds of Passage (Sony Picture Classics) $478k co-directed by Cristina Gallego. Feb 13th
06 Who Will Write Our History (Abramorama) $117k directed by Roberta Grossman. Jan 18th
07 Mapplethorpe (MGM) $81k directed by Ondi Timmoner . March 1st
08 Wrestle (Oscilloscope) $23k directed by Susannah Herbert & Lauren Belfer. Feb 22nd
09 Slut in a Good Way (Comedy Dynamics) $21k directed by Sophie Lorain. March 29th.
10 Out of Blue (IFC) $15k directed by Carol Morley. Mar 22nd
TOP GROSSING FILMS DIRECTED BY A PERSON OF COLOR
(apologies if we missed someone)
Glass
01 Us $127.8 directed by Jordan Peele. March 22nd
02 Glass $110.9 directed by M Night Shyamalan. Jan 18th
03 Alita Battle Angel $84.9 (Fox) directed by Robert Rodriguez. Feb 14th
04 Tyler Perry's A Madea Family Funeral $70 directed by Tyler Perry. March 1st
05 Dragon Ball Super: Broly (FUNimation) $30.7 directed by Tatsuya Nagamine. Jan 16th
06 Gully Boy (Viva Pictures) $5.5 directed by Zoya Akhtar. Feb 14th
07 Uri: Surgical Strike (PackYourBag) $4.1 directed by Aditya Dhar. Jan 11th
08 Everybody Knows (Focus) $2.6 directed by Asgar Farhadi. Feb 8th
09 Total Dhamaal (FIP) $2.1 directed by Indra Kumar. Feb 22nd
10 Badla (Reliance) $1.8 directed by Sujoy Ghosh. March 8th
TOP GROSSING FILMS DIRECTED BY AN OUT MEMBER OF THE LGBT COMMUNITY
(apologies if we missed someone)
Sorry Angel
Feb 22nd
02 What Men Want (Paramount) $54.4 directed by Adam Shankman. Feb 8th
03 Sorry Angel (Strand) $26k+ directed by Christophe Honoré. Feb 15th
04 The Gospel of Eureka (Kino Lorber) $19k directed by Donal Mosher & Michael Palmieri. Feb 8th
Those are the only ones we know of. Frustrating!
TOP GROSSING FILMS WITH QUEER CONTENT
A DEBATABLE LIST (apologies if we missed something)
Climax
02 Greta $10.5 (Focus) March 1st (subtextually sapphic)
03 Climax $781k (A24) March 1st (sexual fluidity)
04 Giant Little Ones $159k (Vertical Entertainment) March 1st (bisexuality)
05 Mapplethorpe $81k (MGM) March 1st (gay biopic)
06 The Heiresses $66k (Distrib Films) Jan 16th (lesbian drama)
07 Sorry Angel $26k (Strand) Feb 15th (gay romantic drama)
08 The Gospel of Eureka $19k (Kino Lorber) Feb 8th (drag queens)
THE ONLY META-CRITIC SCORES OF 80 AND ABOVE
(AND HOW WELL THEY DID AT THE BOX OFFICE)
Gloria Bell
01 Us $127.8 (Universal) March 22nd. Metacritic score of 81
02 Apollo 11 $7+ (Neon) March 1st. Metacritic score of 90
03 Gloria Bell $4.1 (A24) March 8th. Metacritic score of 80
04 Transit $516k (Music Box Films) Marc 1st. Metacritic score of 84
05 Birds of Passage $478k (Sony Picture Classics) Feb 13th. Metacritic score of 86
06 Woman at War $348k (Magnolia) March 1st. Metacritic score of 81
07 Ash is Purest White $220k (Cohen Media Group) March 15th. Metacritic score of 85
08 An Elephant Sitting Still $32k (KimStim) March 8th. Metacritic score of 82
09 The Wild Pear Tree $28k (Cinema Guild) Jan 30th. Metacritic score of 86
10 Diane $24k (IFC) March 29th. Metacritic score of 86
Runners up: Wrestle (Oscilloscope, 82 score) with $23k and Working Woman (Zeitgeist Films, 81 score) with $9k
TOP TEN GROSSING ANIMATED FILMS
How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
01 How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World $153.1 (Universal) Feb 22nd
02 The Lego Movie 2 $104.6 (Warner Bros) Feb 8th
03 Wonder Park $37.9 (Paramount) March 15th
04 Dragon Ball Super: Broly $30.7 (Funimation) Jan 16th
05 The Oscar Nominated Short Films $3.5 (Shorts) Feb 8th
06 Asterix: The Secret of the Magic Potion $1.1 (EOne) Feb 15th
07 Peppa Celebrates Chinese New Year $131k (STX) Feb 6th
08 Ruben Brandt Collector $108k (Sony Pictures Classics) Feb 15th
09 This Magnificent Cake! $4k (GKids) March 1st
10 Tito and the Birds $4k (Shout!) Jan 25th
TOP GROSSING ORIGINALS
NOT PRE-EXISTING: NO SEQUELS, ADAPTATIONS, SPIN-OFFS, ETCETERA
Us
01 Us $127.8 (Universal) Mar 22nd
02 Escape Room $56.7 (Sony) Jan 4th
03 Isn't it Romantic? $48.1 (Warner Bros) Feb 13th
04 Wonder Park $37.9 (Paramount) March 15th
05 Fighting With My Family $22.5 (MGM) Feb 14th
06 The Prodigy $14.8 (Orion) Feb 8th
07 Greta $10.5 (Focus) March 1st
08 Serenity $8.5 (Aviron) Jan 25th
09 Run the Race $6.3 (Roadside Attractions) Feb 22nd
10 Gully Boy (Viva Pictures) $5.5
TOP TEN BOX OFFICE HITS
(SO. YOU'LL SEE IT'S MOSTLY SEQUELS, SPIN-OFFS, AND REMAKES AS PER USUAL)
Captain Marvel
01 Captain Marvel $353.9 (Disney/Marvel) Spinoff/Franchise Launch. Mar 8th
It'll be interesting to see if future Marvel franchise launches after Captain Marvel and Black Panther can continue grossing this much. At the moment Marvel has made their new franchise launches feel like sequels to their biggest franchise (The Avengers) but that ends... in a way... this year. And it will definitely take a while to work back up to an event the size of Infinity War in the future. So maybe the next "Phase" will have more performers the size of say the Ant-Man franchise (one of their lowest sub-franchise but still nothing to scoff at in terms of gross potential)
02 How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World $153.1 (Universal) Sequel. Feb 22nd
03 Us $127.8 (Universal) Original. Mar 22nd
04 Glass $110.9 (Universal) Sequel. Jan 18th
05 The Upside $107.4 (STX) Remake. Jan 11th
Though this was considered a surprise hit in the US, it's actually a much smaller success than the French film that it's a remake of. The Intouchables (2012) did over $400 million globally though most of that was outside of the US where it grossed only $10 million (which is still a lot in the US market for a subtitled feature). The Upside, by comparison, has grossed $120 million globally thus far.
06 The Lego Movie 2 $104.6 (Warner Bros) Sequel. Feb 8th
07 Alita Battle Angel $84.9 (Fox) Adaptation/Franchise Launch. Feb 14th
A much bigger hit overseas with over $300 million outside the US market. But will that be enough for a sequel? The profit margin will still be slim given the $175 million budget plus p&a costs.
08 Tyler Perry's A Madea Family Reunion $70 (Lionsgate) Sequel. March 1st
09 Escape Room $56.7 (Sony) Original. January 4th
It had the lowest budget of any film in this top ten (which is why people keep making horror films: high profit margins!)
10 What Men Want $54.4 (Paramount) Gender-flipped remake. February 8th
Dumbo
Runners Up: Isn't It Romantic (New Line) at $48.1 and Dumbo (Disney) the latter of which just opened to $45.9 million so will end up easily in the top ten of the first quarter once all the movies have closed.
The lists might feel dire but the first quarter is always the most barren. So stay turned for more exciting films for the next 9 months.
Reader Comments (12)
I really appreciate how you cover box office gross. Thank-you
Box office will be up as we finished out the 2010s but who knows what the beginning of the 2020s look like.
Shouldn't Alita: Battle Angel be on the person of color list (Robert Rodriguez). Also I guess No Maches Fridas 2 and that Dragon Ball thing.
Arkaan -- thank you. sometimes I think posts like this are really cool / informative in a way you wont see elsewhere and then noone comments *cries*
DBS: Broly should also be on the POC director list.
Also I Want to Eat Your Pancreas (277k https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=iwanttoeatyourpancreas.htm) and Made in Abyss (134k https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=madeinabyssjourneysdawn.htm) make it on to the animation list.
Nathaniel - I always read even if I don’t comment! I’ll comment more often on posts like this then. Normally I only comment my negative or edgy comments, lol.
The Wandering Earth is a horrible movie. Great effects but horrible everything else. Bad actors, plot, theme, just everything. China needs to support it’s auteur directors and allow them to make the kind of films they want to without extreme censorship.
Rubi -- i wasn't including special event screenings like Fathom's output and whatnot or any non-ttraditional realeases (traditional being the kind of releases that you can just go and see the movie at a theater -- even if it's only one theater -- at any number of screenings that week kind of thing) as special event screenings are their own microworld. Not sure they're masureable since the numbers rarely make any sense (at least in terms of how Box Office Mojo shares them. Their total revenue rarely fully lines up with any daily or weekend box office tally reporting)
but i should have made a note of that. will edit. Have addded dragon ball super broly in though.
I did not see anything in the theater but discovered "Killer Fish" (1979) a caper- disaster- monster movie with an all star 70's cast- Lee Majors, James Franciscus, Margaux Hemingway, and Karen Black- who struts in fabulous clothes and keep acting even when the others have given up. A delirious ridiculous movie with a disco theme song- a must for lovers of bad cinema and Karen Black.
How good is it that the all round No1 also tops Female Lead and Directed by a Women. Then there's Us which will soon be No 2 and tops Original and Directed by Person of Colour as well as No 2 for Female Lead. How nice if such stats where also seen at the end of the year.
Thanks for the interesting post Nathaniel :)
Great summary !
Is it just me that completely missed the sapphic subtext in "Greta"? That's a new one on me.