Box Office: 'Hidden Figures' Earns $1.2 Million Thursday

Fox and Chernin Entertainment's Hidden Figures earned $1.2 million in previews Thursday night.

The film, directed by Ted Melfi, stars Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae as the real-life mathematicians who helped NASA get a man into space. It is expanding this weekend after opening in 25 locations on Christmas Day.

It earned several awards nominations, including a Golden Globe nom for Spencer, and is tracking to earn north of $16 million in its first weekend of wide release.

This weekend's other new wide release, Screen Gems' Underworld: Blood Wars, the fifth installment in the vampire hunter series, is not reporting previews. It is likely to earn in the mid-teen million in its debut.

Directed by Anna Foerster, the film stars Kate Beckinsale and Theo James, and follows Selene (Beckinsale) as she fights to end the eternal war between the Lycan clan and the Vampire faction that betrayed her.

Weekend Box Office: 'Hidden Figures' Wins Friday for Close Race With 'Rogue One,' 'Sing'

Theodore Melfi's biographical drama Hidden Figures won the Friday box office as it expanded nationwide, earning a strong $7.6 million from 2,471 theaters and nabbing a coveted A+ CinemaScore.

The movie — starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae as real-life African-American mathematicians who helped NASA put a man into space — is tipped to earn $21 million for the weekend, ahead of expectations.

That puts Hidden Figures, from Fox 2000 and Chernin Entertainment, in a close race with holdovers Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Sing for the weekend crown, although a winter storm on the Eastern seaboard is making modeling difficult.

Coming in ahead of expectations, Hidden Figures is expanding this weekend after opening in 25 locations on Christmas Day. The $25 million movie has earned several awards nominations, including a Golden Globes best supporting actress nom for Spencer.

Rogue One grossed $6 million Friday from 4,157 locations for a dazzling domestic total of $461.4 million. Universal and Illumination's animated musical film Sing placed No. 3, grossing $5.1 million from 2,471 theaters as it prepares to jump the $200 million mark domestically. Box-office observers show the two films earning anywhere from $21 million-$23 million for the weekend.

Elsewhere, Screen Gems' Underworld: Blood Wars, the fifth installment in the vampire hunter series, is headed towards a subdued opening of $13 million from 3,070 theaters after grossing an estimated $5 million on Friday.

Directed by Anna Foerster, the film stars Kate Beckinsale and Theo James, and follows Selene (Beckinsale) as she fights to end the eternal war between the Lycan clan and the Vampire faction that betrayed her. Blood Wars, placing no. 4, earned a B+ CinemaScore.

Costing a net $35 million to make, Blood Wars has already earned $45 million internationally with numerous major markets still to open.

Rounding out the top five in North America is Lionsgate's La La Land, which is making a major push on the eve of Sunday's Globe ceremony. Upping its theater count from 750 to 1,515 theaters, the musical moved up to No. 5 on Friday, earning $3.1 million for a projected $10 million weekend and impressive domestic total of nearly $52 million through Sunday.

La La Land, starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, is nominated for seven Globes, including best picture in the musical and comedy category.

Underworld:Blood Wars.....12% Rotten Tomato rating, unreviewed in today's papers. Should have been direct to video already.

Theo James joins another crappy franchise.
The third Divergent movie was so bad, the fourth one is going to be a TV movie.
Look at James terrible record for picking films.
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/theo_james

Weekend Box Office: 'Rogue One,' 'Hidden Figures' All But Tie for No. 1 With $22M Each

Empowered women and outer space dominated the North American box office over the weekend as Theodore Melfi's biographical drama Hidden Figures and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story ended in a photo finish for the No. 1 spot.

Fox showed Hidden Figures grossing an estimated $21.8 million from 2,471 theaters, while Disney just edged that number and put Rogue One''s haul at $22 million from 4,157 locations. The official outcome won't be settled until Monday morning. Most rival studios show Hidden Figures narrowly beating Rogue One, which has stayed at No. 1 since its Dec. 16 blast off.

Nabbing a coveted A+ CinemaScore, Hidden Figures stars Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae as the real-life African-American mathematicians who helped NASA put the first men into space even while having to endure a segregated workplace. Their story, however, had been obscured for decades.

Hidden Figures played to a diverse audience; 43 percent of ticket buyers were Caucasian and 37 percent African-American. The pic overindexed in every part of the country save for the Rocky Mountain states. Like other movies over the weekend, Hidden Figures was impacted by a major winter storm in the Deep South and Northeast, but box-office observers don't believe the damage was too great even with some theater closures on Friday and Saturday. Females made up 64 percent of Hidden Figures' audience, while 56 percent of all ticket buyers were 35 or older.

"It is a film for everyone regardless of age, gender or race, and effectively illustrates the power of the human mind and spirit," said Fox domestic distribution president Chris Aronson. "In these challenging times, its life-affirming message comes along at a perfect time."

From Fox 2000 and Chernin Entertainment, Hidden Figures first opened in select theaters on Christmas Day and has earned a total of $24.7 million to date against a $25 million budget. It opted to expand nationwide on the eve of Sunday's Golden Globes ceremony, where Spencer is nominated for best supporting actress.

Rogue One, the stand-alone Star Wars movie starring Felicity Jones, has now earned a massive $477.3 million domestically and is virtually guaranteed of crossing the $500 million mark. The pic easily won the foreign weekend race with $56.6 million, including a China bow of $31 million, for a offshore total of $437.1 million and global tally of $914.4 million.

Universal and Illumination Entertainment's animated tentpole Sing wasn't far behind Rogue One and Hidden Figures in North America, grossing $19.6 million from 3,955 theaters as it zoomed past the $200 million mark domestically. Overseas, the family hit took in $26.4 million from 61 territories for a global cume of $356.9 million, including $213.4 million in North America.

Screen Gems' Underworld: Blood Wars, the fifth installment in the vampire hunter series, followed at No. 4 with an underwhelming launch of $13.1 million from 3,070 theaters. Directed by Anna Foerster and starring Kate Beckinsale and Theo James, the film earned a B+ CinemaScore.

Costing a net $35 million to make, Blood Wars is faring better overseas, where it has earned $45 million to date with numerous major markets still to open. "We were very thoughtful in the production costs of the film and the picture has been built for the world," said Sony distribution chief Rory Bruer.

Rounding out the top five in North America was Lionsgate's La La Land, which is up for seven Golden Globes, the most of any film this year. Upping its theater count from 750 to 1,515 theaters, the musical earned another $10 million for a strong domestic total of $51.7 million and early global cume of $86 million, including $19.5 million in South Korea.

Sony's sci-fi space romance Passengers, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt, fell to No. 8 in its third weekend, earning $8.8 million from 3,400 locations for a domestic total of $80.9 million and estimated worldwide tally of $185 million (it doesn't open in China until next weekend).

Among prestige titles competing in the awards race, Denzel Washington's Fences placed No. 9 with $4.7 million from 2,368 theaters for a domestic total of $40.7 million. Washington directed and stars in the Paramount stage adaptation and is nominated for a Golden Globe in the best actor in a motion picture — drama category. Co-star Viola Davis is nominated for best supporting actress.

A number of award hopefuls are still only playing in select markets, including CBS Films and Liongate's Patriots Day, which scored the top location average of the weekend ($15,000, seven theaters). Golden Globe best picture nominee 20th Century Women ($14,282, 10 theaters), Toni Erdmann ($11,579, three theaters) and Paterson ($10,038, 10 theaters) followed, while Martin Scorsese's Silence posted a pleasing location average of $9,412 as it expanded into a total of 51 theaters.

Box-Office Preview: 'Patriots Day,' 'Hidden Figures' Tipped to Lead Crowded MLK Weekend

It's looking like summer in January at the North American box office.

The long Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend is always crowded, but this year is particularly jam-packed as three new films enter the fray — family film Monster Trucks, STX Entertainment's horror thriller The Bye Bye Man and Open Road's crime drama Sleepless — while a handful of other films expand nationwide, including Peter Berg's Boston marathon bombing drama, Patriots Day, Martin Scorsese's Silence and Ben Affleck's latest directorial outing, Live by Night.

If prerelease tracking is any indication, Patriots Day, starring Mark Wahlberg, and Hidden Figures will vie for the holiday crown with a four-day tally in the $20 million range. Last weekend, Fox 2000's Hidden Figures pulled off a coup in placing No. 1., while Patriots Day from CBS Films and Lionsgate has been scoring strong numbers since its limited Christmas launch.

La La Land, however, could dance to a better than expected showing after scoring a record seven Globe wins. The musical from Lionsgate should see a boost as it expands from roughly 1,500 theaters into 1,900 locations, including 100 Imax runs.

The weekend's two biggest question marks are Silence and Monster Trucks, both from Paramount. Silence has impressed in its limited debut but is expected to struggle as it ups its theater count to more than 750 screens. And even before it opened, Monster Trucks prompted Paramount to take a $115 million write-down.

Another casualty of the weekend could be Live by Night, which has fared dismally in its limited launch for Warner Bros. and Affleck.

Box Office: 'Patriots Day' Earns $560K Thursday

The crowded Martin Luther King Jr. weekend kicked off last night with previews for a trio of new films and several others that are expanding wide this weekend.

This weekend sees a flurry of expansions into wide release, including Peter Berg's Boston marathon bombing drama Patriots Day, Martin Scorsese's Silence and Ben Affleck's latest directorial outing, Live by Night.

Patriots Day earned $560,000 from 2,000 theaters beginning at 7 p.m. as it expands from seven theaters to 3,120 locations Friday.

According to early tracking, Patriots Day, starring Mark Wahlberg, and Hidden Figures will vie for the holiday crown with a four-day tally in the $20 million range. Last weekend, Fox 2000's Hidden Figures landed at No. 1, while Patriots Day from CBS Films and Lionsgate has been scoring strong numbers since its limited Christmas launch.

STX Entertainment's horror thriller The Bye Bye Man earned $400,000 in previews. The PG-13 rated horror thriller, opening on 2,220 screens this weekend, centers on three friends who stumble upon the horrific origins of the Bye Bye Man, a mysterious figure they discover is the root cause of the evil behind man’s most unspeakable acts.

The film, an Intrepid Pictures/Los Angeles Media Fund Production that STX Entertainment co-financed with Los Angeles Media Fund for $7.4 million, is tracking to earn in the $10 million range. It's directed by Stacy Title and stars Douglas Smith, Lucien Laviscount, Cressida Bonas, Doug Jones, Carrie-Anne Moss and Faye Dunaway.

Paramount's Monster Trucks also is opening wide this weekend. The 3D film, directed by Chris Wedge, stars Lucas Till, Jane Levy, Amy Ryan and Rob Lowe. It follows a teen who builds a truck, but when an accident at a nearby oil-drilling site displaces a strange and subterranean creature with a taste and a talent for speed, he may have found a way to get out of his sleepy town.

Even before it opened, Monster Trucks prompted the studio to take a $115 million write-down.

This weekend's third new release, Open Road's crime drama Sleepless, stars Jamie Foxx and T.I. as a pair of corrupt Las Vegas cops who search for one of their kidnapped sons. The action thriller is helmed by Baran bo Odar.

Weekend Box Office: 'Hidden Figures' Eyes $24M MLK Victory; 'Silence,' 'Live by Night' DOA

The 2017 Martin Luther King holiday weekend is proving to be a wild ride at the box office, where Hidden Figures is looking like the easy winner while several high-profile titles already appear DOA, according to early returns.

In the latter category is Martin Scorsese's period epic Silence, which may only clear $2 million for the four-day holiday weekend from 747 screens after costing $50 million to make. Ben Affleck is another high-profile director with a big miss on his hands, Live by Night. The gangster film, with a net budget of $65 million, is projected to gross $7.5 million-$9.5 million from 2,822 theaters for the four days. (Both films are expanding nationwide Friday after opening in select cinemas during the year-end holidays.)

Monster Trucks, the ill-fated family film from Paramount, is likewise DOA with a projected four-day gross of $10 million-$13 million from 3,111 locations. In late 2016, Viacom took a $115 million write down for the $125 million movie in advance of its launch, a highly unusual move.

Hidden Figures, the biographical drama about three black female NASA mathematicians who helped put the first men into space, continues to impress. From Fox 2000 and Chernin Entertainment, the movie narrowly won the race last weekend with $22.8 million and is now looking at a $24 million-$25 million haul from 3,288 theaters for the four-day holiday.

Other winners of the weekend look to be Pete Berg's Boston Marathon bombing drama Patriots Day, starring Mark Wahlberg. The CBS Films and Lionsgate release, which also is expanding Friday after a limited run, is projected to gross $15 million-$17 million from 3,120 locations, potentially putting it in a close race with holdover Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

And don't count Golden Globe victor La La Land out of the mix. Lionsgate's musical is expanding into 1,848 theaters Friday, including roughly 100 Imax runs, and is projected to gross anywhere from $14 million-$17 million.

The long Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend always is crowded.

STX Entertainment's new horror thriller The Bye Bye Man looks to be on solid footing with a projected $13 million-$15 million weekend from 2,220 cinemas, while Open Road's crime drama Sleepless is expected to post a more subdued opening in the $8 million range from 1,803 locations.

Box-Office Pileup: Three Major Films Crash and Burn in Same Weekend

The 2017 Martin Luther King holiday will go down in history as the weekend when three high-profile studio movies bombed, including Martin Scorsese's Silence and Ben Affleck's Live by Night.

Live by Night, playing in 2,822 theaters, may not even crack $6 million for the four-day holiday frame after earning an estimated $5.4 million for the three days. That's bleak news for Affleck and Warner Bros., which spent a net $65 million to make the period gangster movie (tax incentives and rebates brought the budget down from $90 million). Live by Night, which first opened in select theaters over the year-end holidays, was no doubt damaged by poor reviews and a B CinemaScore. It also is struggling overseas, where it opened to $3.3 million from its first 28 markets, including a dismal U.K. opening of $873,000.

The forecast is even worse for Silence, which likewise expanded nationwide over the weekend into a total of 747 theaters. The epic historical drama is tipped to earn $1.9 million over the three days and $2.3 million over four after costing $50 million to make. Silence, which was financed independently and distributed by Paramount, will be one of Scorsese's lowest-grossing features in the U.S. but hopes for redemption overseas.

Paramount isn't having a good holiday, no matter how you look at it. Ill-fated family film Monster Trucks is DOA with a projected four-day gross of $14.1 million from 3,111 locations, including $10.5 million for the three days. While that's slightly more than expected, the movie, which earned an A CinemaScore, cost a hefty $125 million to make. In late 2016, Viacom took a $115 million write-down for Monster Trucks in advance of its launch, a highly unusual move. Overseas, the CGI/live-action hybrid has grossed $14.7 million to date for a global cume of $28.8 million.

On a brighter note, Hidden Figures — the biographical drama about three black female NASA mathematicians who helped put the first man into space — continues to hold at No. 1. From Fox 2000 and Chernin Entertainment, the movie won the box-office race last weekend with $22.8 million and is looking to pull in $25.3 million-plus over the four-day holiday frame. The pic, now available in 3,286 cinemas, earned $20.5 million for the three days and will finish the weekend with a domestic cume of $59.6 million.

Illumination Entertainment and Universal's animated hit Sing follows at No. 2 with a three-day take of $13.8 million and an estimated four-day gross of $18.5 million for a domestic cume of $237.7 million. Overseas, the film took in another $13.2 million for a foreign tally of $164.3 million and an estimated global total of $403 million through Monday.

Next up is Lionsgate's La La Land, which is getting a big bump after its record seven Golden Globe wins. The awards frontrunner grossed $14.5 million for the three days for an estimated four-day tally of $17 million from 1,848 theaters, putting its domestic cume at $77.1 million through Monday. La La Land saw a 43 percent spike over last weekend, in part because it upped its theater count to 1,848 runs, including a berth in 148 Imax theaters.

Overseas, La La Land sang loudly, earning a further $17.8 million from 50 markets — including a stellar $7.3 million debut in the U.K. — for a foreign total of $54.8 million and an estimated worldwide haul of $132 million through Monday.

Disney and Lucasfilm's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is looking at a fourth-place finish in North America with an estimated four-day tally of $17 million. On Friday, the movie passed fellow Disney release Finding Dory ($486 million) to become the top-grossing domestic release of 2016 and will finish the holiday weekend with a total north of $500 million and a global haul of roughly $980 million as it prepares to cross the $1 billion mark.

Internationally, Rogue One was toppled from the top spot for the first time since it opened by Sony's Passengers, which earned $32.5 million from 65 territories — including China, where it launched at No. 1 with $17.5 million — for a worldwide total of $237.1 million. (Last weekend, Rogue One grossed $31 million in its Middle Kingdom debut and added another $9.8 million this weekend for a China total of $53.4 million, the second-best showing of any foreign market behind the U.K.)

STX Entertainment's new horror thriller The Bye Bye Man is coming in ahead of expectations in North America, earning $13.4 million from 2,200 cinemas over the three days and an estimated $15 million over four. The movie, which cost a modest $7.4 million to make, earned a C CinemaScore, not unusual for a horror offering.

Pete Berg's Boston Marathon bombing drama Patriots Day, starring Mark Wahlberg, follows at No. 6 with a three-day gross of $12 million from 3,120 theaters and an estimated $14.3 million for the four days. The CBS Films and Lionsgate release nabbed a coveted A+ CinemaScore as it expanded nationwide after opening in select theaters over Christmas.

Like Bye Bye Man, Open Road's crime drama Sleepless is also faring better than expected, with a projected four-day debut of $10.1 million from 1,803 locations. It earned a B+ CinemaScore.

Among other award contenders, La La Land wasn't the only title enjoying a Golden Globes bump. Barry Jenkins' Moonlight, which won the Globe for best motion picture in the drama category, grossed an impressive $1.4 million in its 13th weekend from 582 locations for a total $14.9 million. A24 will expand the movie nationwide on Jan. 27 following Oscar nominations.

Box Office: Why Ben Affleck's 'Live by Night' and Martin Scorsese's 'Silence' Fared So Poorly

Four years ago at this time, Ben Affleck's Argo was the darling of the awards circuit on its way to winning the Oscar for best picture and grossing north of $232 million for Warner Bros. at the worldwide box office against a $45 million budget.

After the victory, Warners was more than happy to team with Affleck on his next directorial outing, but the resulting film, Live by Night, is proving to be a major disappointment for the filmmaker and his loyal home studio. Gunned down by bad reviews, the period 1920s gangster movie is pacing to gross a terrible $6 million from 2,822 theaters over the four-day Martin Luther King holiday weekend.

Meanwhile, Martin Scorsese's independently financed Silence also is in grave danger. The 17th century-set epic, about Jesuit priests who travel to Japan to search for their missing mentor, is projected to gross $2.3 million from 737 theaters over the four-day holiday frame. While it's true that Silence, which Paramount is marketing and distributing, is playing in far fewer cinemas than its rivals, it's nevertheless a dismal showing.

The reasons for the carnage? Too many adult dramas in the marketplace and a lack of interest in the subject matter, according to box-office pundits. And neither Silence nor Live by Night, both rated R, have proven to be major awards contenders to date, although Silence is still hoping to score top Oscar nominations.

It's not just the two adult dramas that hit the wall at this weekend's box office, though. In terms of sheer dollars, the biggest loser is Paramount's Monster Trucks, a CGI/live-action hybrid that cost $125 million to make. But its fate was almost a foregone conclusion, since, in an unusual move, Paramount parent company Viacom took a $115 million write-down for the family title late last year in advance of its opening. Silence and Live by Night still hoped to claim an audience.

"An overcrowded theatrical marketplace has caused high-profile films by two of the most notable directors working today to struggle," says analyst Paul Dergarabedian of comScore. "It may not be so much the fault of studios giving directors with well-earned clout the ability to exercise their creative power, despite obvious commercial limitations, but rather an overwhelming amount of filmed content that has diluted the marketplace pool to the point where unless you have the momentum of a La La Land, a Moonlight or a Manchester by the Sea, then you are just lost in the shuffle."

He continued: "This should not be viewed as a backlash or mandate against serious content because, clearly, films like Hacksaw Ridge, Manchester and Fences are not exactly what anyone would define as 'light' fare."

Warner Bros. okayed Live by Night even after Gangster Squad, another period mob-crime drama from the studio, disappointed in January 2013. Starring Sean Penn and Josh Brolin alongside Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone — the latter two of whom can currently be seen in awards darling La La Land — Gangster Squad opened to $17.1 million before topping out at a muted $46 million domestically and $105.2 million worldwide against a $60 million budget.

Live by Night is Affleck's biggest movie yet as a director, costing a net $65 million to make after tax rebates and incentives brought the price tag down from as much as $90 million, according to insiders. His earlier film, 2010's The Town, cost $37 million, while his Gone Baby Gone (2007) cost $19 million. In terms of openings, Argo bowed to $19.5 million over the Oct. 12-14 weekend in 2012. Before that, The Town took in $23.8 million on its opening three-day weekend in September 2010.

Besides its budget, another big difference separating Live by Night from Argo, The Town and Gone Baby Gone was the critical reaction. Affleck's latest movie has a 32 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to north of 90 percent for each of his three previous films.

Without strong critical support, Live by Night — which stars Affleck opposite Zoe Saldana, Elle Fanning, Chris Cooper and Sienna Miller — flopped in its limited debut over the year-end holidays before expanding over the MLK holiday frame. It also is soft overseas, where it opened to $3.3 million over the weekend from its first 25 markets.

There were advance indications the film might face resistance. Its release date was shuffled several times; it had been set to open in the heart of awards season on Oct. 17, 2016, but was pushed to Jan. 13. Then, at the eleventh hour, Warners announced it would give Live by Night a limited run over Christmas in order to qualify for awards consideration.

"Ben Affleck has earned his stripes as a director in this town. Look, every director, no matter how talented they are, from Spielberg to Kubrick, have all had horrendous flops and minor misfires," says box-office analyst Jeff Bock. "That's just part of the machinations of Tinseltown, one that often mixes the combustible business of art and commerce. The fact that Affleck's latest may fail financially and critically likely won't have much effect on the future of his directing career, provided he gets back up, dusts himself off and throws a couple solid punches with his next efforts. Three out of four ain't bad."

Warner Bros. and Affleck have had a longtime partnership, with the studio nurturing his career as a director and releasing all four films. (He worked with recently departed production chief Greg Silverman on Live by Night.) After starring as the newest Batman in Warners and DC Entertainment's Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Affleck is now set to direct and star in a stand-alone Batman movie, tentatively titled The Batman.

Meanwhile, Silence, starring Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver and Liam Neeson, received relatively good reviews yet still faltered in its nationwide expansion after doing strong business in New York and Los Angeles (it sports an 83 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and earned an A CinemaScore from audiences). But many critics also pointed out that the film is a demanding one; running two hours and 41 minutes as it explores questions like the nature of God, it's hardly escapist entertainment.

"For decades, Silence has been a struggle for Scorsese to make. There was obviously a reason for that — it's a tough sell," says Bock.

Scorsese — whose last film, 2013's The Wolf of Wall Street, was wildly successful — spent a quarter of a century trying to adapt Shusaku Endo's 1966 book about the demands of faith and finally got his wish when Mexican producer Gaston Pavlovich stepped in and agreed to fully finance the $50 million film. Paramount, Scorsese's home studio, then came aboard to handle the pic's release.

Silence was snubbed in terms of any Golden Globe nominations, but it did land on the AFI's list of the top 10 movies of 2016 and the National Board of Review's list of top 10 studio films of the year.

"This is a movie we will continue to support and expand," says Paramount president of marketing and distribution Megan Colligan, adding that the studio will begin to target faith-based moviegoers after initially selling Silence as more of an art house title. "Marty truly is one of the greatest living filmmakers, and this is a movie he desperately wanted to make."

China Box Office: 'Passengers' Rockets to First, 'Rogue One' Sputters

Sony's Passengers, starring Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence, easily won the weekend box office in China, blasting past a rapidly decelerating Rogue One.

The sci-fi romance opened to $5.3 million Friday and totaled $17.5 million for the weekend, according to Beijing box-office tracker Ent Group.

The film was the first Sony release in China since the company signed a strategic marketing agreement with Beijing-based entertainment conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group in September. Pratt and Lawrence are both fan favorites in China, thanks to the local popularity of their respective hits (Pratt's Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World and Lawrence's Hunger Games and X-Men franchises).

Rogue One, meanwhile, took a sharp dive in its second weekend, earning $9.8 million from Friday to Sunday according to Disney's estimate ($9 million according to Ent Group), a 71 percent fall from its $31 million opening. After 10 days in China, the Luscasfilm and Disney blockbuster has earned $52.8 million in the Middle Kingdom.

The Chinese audience's relative lack of enthusiasm for the Star Wars franchise remains striking. Force Awakens earned a respectable $124.2 million in China, but that was just the 13th biggest performance of the year in the country, and far far away from the outright domination the movie achieved in other major markets. It was natural to think that Rogue One might fare a little better, given that Disney cast two of the country's biggest stars, Donnie Yen and Jiang Wen, in prominent roles. No such luck.

Rom-com holdover Some Like It Hot came in third, adding $7.5 million for a 17-day total of $11.7 million. And local animation Backkom Bea: Agent 008 opened to $5.9 million, beating Laika's 3D stop-motion Kubo and the Two Strings, which debuted with $3 million.

The Chinese New Year holiday period begins Jan. 27 and concludes Feb. 2 this year. China's film regulators usually block imported titles from the market during the lucrative moviegoing holiday window, giving domestic films a boost.

The last Hollywood film to open before the break will be Paramount's Arrival on Jan. 20.

India Box Office: 'xXx: Return of Xander Cage' Revs Up Ahead of Expanded Release

The latest installment of the 'xXx' franchise also stars Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone, and first opened in 3D and Imax in India a week ahead of its U.S. release.

Vin Diesel-starrer xXx: Return of Xander Cage is hoping to gather steam in India after the film began its initial rollout in the country last Friday, a week ahead of its U.S. release. According to figures from Paramount, the title collected $4.2 million (about 285 million rupees) in paid previews over two and a half days after its Jan. 13 opening, following the film's premiere in Mumbai, which was attended by Diesel and his co-star, Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone, who makes her Hollywood debut with Xander Cage.

As with any Hollywood tentpole release in India, in addition to its English version, the title has been dubbed in regional languages including Hindi, Tamil and Telegu.

Xander Cage first opened only in 3D and Imax across 1,200 screens as per Viacom18 Motion Pictures, which handles Paramount releases in the country. This figure will expand to 1,800 screens when the title also opens in 2D starting Wednesday.

India does not officially report box-office figures but according to estimates, so far, the highest opening weekend for any Hollywood film in the country was recorded by another Vin Diesel title, 2015's Fast & Furious 7, which collected $10.6 million. But that was largely attributed to the fact that Universal released Furious 7 on more screens, at about 2,800.

“With Deepika Padukone' s leading act in the film and Vin Diesel’s successful India visit, Viacom18 Motion Pictures has ensured India remains one of the priority markets for Hollywood movies,” Viacom18 Motion Pictures COO Ajit Andhare said in a statement.

In addition to its U.S. opening Jan. 20, Xander Cage will release in 53 international markets including the U.K., France, Spain, Germany, Australia, Mexico, Brazil and Russia, while the movie’s China release date is set for Feb. 10.

Box-Office Milestone: 'Rogue One' Crosses $1B Globally

The stand-alone 'Star Wars' film achieved the victory on its 39th day in release and means Disney is home to all four 2016 movies that earned $1 billion or more.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story has joined the $1 billion club at the worldwide box office.

The Gareth Edwards-helmed stand-alone prequel from Lucasfilm and Disney reached $512.2 million in North America and $499.1 million overseas over the weekend for a total $1.011 billion.

The film achieved the victory on its 39th day in release and means Disney is home to all four 2016 movies that earned $1 billion or more: Captain America: Civil War ($1.153 billion), Pixar/Disney's Finding Dory ($1.028 billion) and Disney Animation Studios' Zootopia ($1.024).

Rogue One caps the studio's domination last year at the box office, where it claimed an unprecedented 26 percent of market share in North America alone.

All along, Disney tried to dissuade Wall Street and the press from comparing Rogue One to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which grossed a staggering $2.068 billion at the global box office following its release in December 2015. The studio said it didn't expect Rogue One to match Force Awakens.

Rogue One is the 28th movie to earn $1 billion or more globally, not accounting for inflation.

Also over the weekend, Disney celebrated animated hit Moana crossing $500 million globally.