For those who sawFifty Shades Darker’s box office win on Friday as a sign that the erotic thriller might take the weekend overThe LEGO Batman Movie, it’s helpful to remember this credo: cartoons rule over all. In fact, most big studios could reappropriate Wu-Tang Clan’s famed “C.R.E.A.M.” acrostic and just replace cash with cartoons. And when the cartoon also happens to be tied in with DC Comics, there’s really no winning.
Indeed, whileFifty Shades Darkeris looking at a healthy $46.8 millon opener, down fromFifty Shades of Grey’s $80+ million,The Lego Batman Movieis clearly coming home with the prize with an impressive $55 million opening weekend. The fact thatFifty Shades Darkerbeat out the animated titan on Friday has a lot to do with when people see movies. Most couples, married or not, tend to take Friday night as a date night and that’s not just a stereotype that sitcoms and romantic comedies worldwide invented. This goes for parents too. For them,The LEGO Batman Movieis an excursion for Saturday or Sunday afternoon whileFifty Shades Darkeris about a close as a just-add-popcorn date movie as I’ve seen.
Beyond this back-and-forth, this was also the first blockbuster weekend for 2017, with three big openers that all came in with admirable takes for the weekend. WhileFifty Shades DarkerandThe LEGO Batman Movielanded a little under their most ambitious expectations,John Wick: Chapter 2performed like a thoroughbred, taking in an absolutely smashing $30 million on its opening weekend. That’s more than double what John Wick made on it’s opening weekend and this all but confirm that we will see at least two moreJohn Wickmovies.
What will be even more interesting is seeing howJohn Wick: Chapter Twoand the other two headliners will match up against the trio of originals opening next weekend. My inkling is thatFist Fightwill probably giveThe LEGO Batman Moviesome serious competition butThe Great WallandA Cure for Wellnesscould really go either way. The latter seems weird enough to get asses in seats but the former is a serious wild card in my mind. There’s a chance that, with early tracking showing negative critical reception toThe Great WallandJohn Wick: Chapter 2’s boatload of praise, thatKeanu Reeves' mystical assassin could show some legs with next weekend. As always, we shall see.
