Considering the fact thatChristopher Nolan’sDunkirkhit theaters and took the top spot at the box office last weekend, it’s unlikely, though not impossible, that the depiction of one of World War II’s more nerve-racking tales of rescue and survival will repeat its success. This does double with the introduction of two potential hits - the animatedEmoji Movieand the Berlin-based action flickAtomic Blonde, headlined byCharlize TheronandJames McAvoy. Then there’s the still-thriving success ofGirls TripandSpider-Man: Homecomingto take into account.
There is simply no excusing the kind of empty corporate celebration thatThe Emoji Moviehinges on, especially with the amount of product placement that’s packed into its thankfully short runtime. That the movie is neither funny nor heartwarming nor sincere nor exciting is not especially surprising, though you’d think they’d want it to be all those things in theory. The lack of ingenuity in design is also a remarkable deficiency in what will certainly go down as one of 2017’s most inexcusable releases, but the fact that the movie openly insists that there is a better, livelier world on your iPhone or Android than anything in real life is what really makes this minor fiasco really something deserving of singled-out derision.
Still, the thing just might make it to the top spot, despite a bevy of reviews that highlight just how shallow Sony Animation’s latest turns out to be. By the end of Friday,The Emoji Moviewas firmly in first place with $10 million, whileDunkirktook second with $8 million andAtomic Blondecoming in third with $7.1 million. Of course, this only gives us an inkling of what we will see by Monday morning, but most prognosticators have this weekend coming down toEmojiandDunkirk, withAtomic Blondelikely taking third place aboveGirls Trip, which took in $6.2 million to land in fourth, andSpider-Man: Homecoming, which ended Friday in the fifth spot with $3.9 million to add to its cumbersome domestic take. Any other weekend, I’d excuse a movie of arguable substance likeDunkirklosing to the new animated movie as just a result of kids needing entertainment too. WithThe Emoji Movie, however, I’d almost suggest parents bring the kids toDunkirk.
Here’s your top five:
Friday Domestic BO
Total Domestic BO
1. ‘The Emoji Movie’
$10,050,000
2. ‘Dunkirk’
$8,000,000
$82,706,220
3. ‘Atomic Blonde’
$7,100,000
4. ‘Girls Trip’
$6,200,000
$51,639,220
5. ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’
$3,900,000
$268,806,805
