‘Night School’ wins a competitive weekend at the box office

“Night School.”
Universal

• The Kevin Hart-Tiffany Haddish comedy “Night School” wins the
  weekend box office with $28 million.
• The Warner Bros. animated movie “Smallfoot” took in a
  respectable $23 million.

It was a close race for the top spot at the domestic box office
this weekend, as Universal’s “Night School” finished the weekend
below industry projections and Warner Bros’ “Smallfoot” kept a
steady pace.

But when the smoke cleared, “Night School” was the winner, raking
in an estimated $28 million.

The latest comedy from the director of “Girls Trip,” Malcolm D.
Lee, the equalizer for “Night School” was that it has Tiffany
Haddish and Kevin Hart as its stars, two of the most popular
actors working today.

Despite coming in under its projected $30 million opening,
Universal can’t frown with a $28 million start for “Night
School.” Most studio comedies would beg for that kind of box
office coin its opening weekend.

WB’s family friendly “Smallfoot” — featuring the voices of
Channing Tatum, James Corden, Zendaya, LeBron James, and Danny
DeVito — came out at the right time as there hasn’t been an
attractive kids title in theaters for a while.

That led to a $23 million opening, which is
stronger than the studio’s 2016 animated release, “Storks”
($21.3 million).

Holdovers “The House With a Clock in Its Walls” and “A Simple
Favor” continue to make good bank. “Clock in Its Walls” had an
impressive $12.5 million second weekend,
just a 53% drop after winning the box office last week, and
“Simple Favor” has been impressive since its September 14
opening, taking in $6 million this weekend and a
domestic total of over $43 million.