Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse swings to $35-M debut, Mortal Engines sputters

LOS ANGELES — Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is the new box office king, collecting a solid $35.4 million during its first three days of release.
That’s hardly the biggest opening for an animated film this year, but it does rank as the best start for a cartoon in the month of December. Illumination’s Sing previously held that title, debuting with $35 million in 2016.
Another weekend release, Warner Bros.’ The Mule, snagged the No. 2 spot with $17 million. Clint Eastwood directed and stars in the R-rated crime drama about a nonagenarian who gets caught smuggling drugs for the cartel. The Mule, Eastwood’s first acting gig since 2012’s Trouble With the Curve, brought out a much older crowd. Moviegoers over the age of 35 accounted for 78% of audiences. In addition to Eastwood, The Mule cast includes Bradley Cooper, Laurence Fishburne, Michael Pena, and Dianne Wiest.
Not all newcomers were able to stick the landing.
���Ծ������������’s Mortal Engines launched in fifth place with a disastrous $7.5 million when it debuted in 3,103 venues. That could be catastrophic for the sci-fi saga that cost over $100 million to make. The post-apocalyptic steampunk adventure has fared slightly better overseas, picking up $34.8 million from 54 international territories, but Mortal Engines looks like it could still lose a sizable chunk of change. Peter Jackson produced the CGI spectacle, adapted from Philip Reeve’s YA novel. The middling reviews haven’t helped build momentum, and it carries a paltry 28% on Rotten Tomatoes. It’ll be an uphill battle for Mortal Engines to break through a crowded holiday frame and attract the kind of audience it needs to justify its expensive price tag.
Spider-Verse, based on Sony’s catalog of Marvel heroes, is resonating with a slightly older audience than most animated adventures. It also has plenty of time to make up ground during a holiday frame, though Warner Bros.’ Aquaman might cannibalize a bit of the superhero crowd.
Philip Lord and Christopher Miller produced Spider-Verse, which cost $90 million and takes place in a universe where more than one Spider-Man exists. Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore), a Brooklynite with a Puerto Rican mom and an African American dad, puts on the Lycra-tights for this rendition. Mahershala Ali, Hailee Steinfeld, Jake Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Lily Tomlin, and John Mulaney round out the voice cast.
Spider-Verse has already racked up plaudits, including a Golden Globe nod for best animated feature, and boasts an impressive 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. Weeks before Spider-Verse opens in theaters, Sony announced the development of a sequel and spin-offs set in the shared multiverse.
Elsewhere, Fox’s Once Upon a Deadpool, a PG-13 re-release of Deadpool 2 picked up $2.6 million on 1,566 screens. That sum will get added to the initial run of Ryan Reynolds’ R-rated superhero comedy, which now sits at $322 million in North America and $736 million globally. The original version wasn’t released in China, but the new clean(er) cut means the Middle Kingdom could finally give the raunchy mercenary a chance.
A pair of animated flicks secured third and fourth place. ���Ծ������������’s The Grinch continues to bring back solid returns, pocketing another $11.5 million this weekend for a domestic total of $239 million. Ralph Breaks the Internet earned $9.3 million in its fourth weekend of release, bringing its North American tally to $154 million. — Reuters