“Fifty Shades of Grey” did win again, but the hype and news for it has, it seems, died down. One main reason is that the Oscars take over, yet the business of show continues. That business of show is mainly the Oscars right now. The other is that those who wanted to see it, saw it. And perhaps word-of-mouth killed it.
A usual drop is expected but for the sexy and controversial movie, this one is noteworthy. With a drop of 73 percent, it puts it up high on that list. It took in an estimated $23.2 million. That is lower than expected.
So, with the surprising and over-achieving numbers from last weekend, this time around, the opposite is true. It still wins, which tells one about the offerings of late.
A movie that takes a huge dive easily wins again. Ouch! That shows a bigger box office story, perhaps, than does being the top film.
Weekend
1. “Fifty Shades of Grey” – $23.2 million
2. “Kingsman: The Secret Service” – $17.5 million
3. “SpongeBob: Sponge Out of Water” – $16 million
It was a repeat weekend as the new wide releases failed to crack the top three. The teen comedy “The DUFF” did beat “Hot Tub Time Machine 2.” For “The DUFF,” it is looking at around $11 million while “Hot Tub” sunk with a dismal $5.8 million.
But, among the newcomers, it was Kevin Costner’s “McFarland, USA” that won that battle with around $11.3 million. It may be too close to call between that film and “The DUFF.”
But, the real story, outside the Oscars, is that “Shades” sank by a huge margin. While this is normal for a romance film, the percentage drop is not normal. Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson did what they were supposed to do and that was to be big the first weekend. It didn’t hurt that it was released over a long holiday weekend. That weekend included Valentine’s Day.
