'Vice' hopes to overcome a C+
CinemaScore, while 'Holmes & Watson' fares even worse with a rare D+ and a zero ranking on Rotten Tomatoes.
Warner Bros.'
Aquaman unwrapped $22.1 million from 4,125 theaters Tuesday, one of the top showings ever for Christmas Day outside of the Star Wars pics and Avatar.
The superhero pic finished the holiday with a five-day domestic total of $105.7 million, slightly behind what tracking had suggested, but nevertheless a strong number. Globally, the tentpole, starring Jason Momoa in the titular role, has already earned north of $500 million.
From Disney,
Mary Poppins Returns stayed at No. 2 with $11.6 million from 4,090 cinemas for a seven-day total of $50.3 million (the musical opened last Wednesday). The sequel to the 1964 film stars Emily Blunt as the eponymous nanny.
Paramount's
Bumblebee, hoping to revive the Transformers franchise, placed No. 3 with $8.9 million from 3,550 theaters for a five-day cume of $34.3 million. Hailee Steinfeld stars in the origin story.
However, there's time to make up ground between now and New Year's, which is considered the most lucrative moviegoing corridor of the year. (As an example, some
Box Office analysts believe Aquaman will cross $200 million domestically by the time we ring in the New Year.)
On Christmas Day, the marquee got even more crowded as Sony's Holmes & Watson, starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, opened. The comedy placed No. 4 for the day with $6.4 million, ahead of expectations and despite a dismal D+ CinemaScore.
Holmes & Watson, which wasn't screened in advance for critics, also sports a rare zero rating on Rotten Tomatoes (only 12 reviews are counted so far).
The film placed No. 4, followed by holdovers Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Clint Eastwood's The Mule, with an estimated $5.7 million and $4.9 million, respectively.
Adam McKay's awards contender Vice, starring Christian Bale as Dick Cheney, also debuted Tuesday. The Annapurna release opened to $4.8 million to place No. 7, ahead of projections. Annapurna notes that Vice did well in America's heartland, in addition to overperforming on both coasts.
Elsewhere, STXfilms' romantic comedy
Second Act, starring Jennifer Lopez, followed at No. 8 with $3.1 million for a five-day total of $10.6 million.
Universal and DreamWorks' Welcome to Marwen fell outside of the top 10 on Tuesday, earning $1.3 million for a five-day cume of $4.2 million. Directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Steve Carell, the dramedy will lose $50 million or more.
Several awards contenders launched in select theaters Christmas Day, including On the Basis of Sex, starring Felicity Jones as a young Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Destroyer, starring Nicole Kidman.
On the Basis of Sex, co-starring Armie Hammer, earned an estimated $442,000 from 33 locations for a screen average of $13,000. Destroyer, going out in three cinemas, earned a screen average of roughly $10,000.