‘The Grinch’ wins weekend box office, ‘Girl in the Spider’s Web’ bombs

“The Grinch.”
Universal

• The latest animated movie by the studio behind “Despicable
  Me” and “Minions” has another hit with “The Grinch.”
• This most recent retelling of the classic Dr. Seuss story won
  the weekend box office with $66 million.
• This opening bests the 2000 Jim Carrey-starring version,
  which had a $55 million opening.
• But it wasn’t good news for “The Girl in the Spider’s Web.”
  The $40 million-plus reboot of the Lisbeth Salander franchise
  only had an $8 million opening.

It seems like everyone is already in the holiday spirit as the
latest telling of the Dr. Seuss classic, “How the Grinch Stole
Christmas!” took a nice bite out of the US box office over
the weekend.

The most recent title from animation studio Illumination
(creators of “Despicable Me,” “Minions,” and “Sing”) has
definitely put a smile on Universal’s face, which releases the
animation studio’s works. The movie took in an estimated $66
million to easily win the weekend.

Benedict Cumberbatch had the task of voicing the green menace of
Whoville and seems to have passed with flying colors.
Previously, the holiday classic was told with the ambitious
live-action 2000 release, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” with
Jim Carrey playing the title role.

That had a $55 million opening and went on to earn over $345 million worldwide.

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While Universal/Illumination found success dusting off a known
property, Sony/MGM/New Regency didn’t have the same luck with
“The Girl in the Spider’s Web.”

“The Girl in the Spider’s
Web.”
Sony

The latest American release from the beloved Millennium book
series that features the adventures of hacker Lisbeth Salander,
“Spider’s Web” comes seven years after the US kickoff of the
franchise with “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” Helmed by David
Fincher and starring Rooney Mara in the Salander role, the movie
opened with a soft $12.7 million opening (made for $90 million)
but went on to earn a solid $232.6 million worldwide.

Sony will have to work a lot harder to make back its money this
time. The revamp of the franchise with Claire Foy in the lead and
Fede Alvarez (“Don’t Breathe”) directing didn’t excite
audiences, as the movie only took in $8 million over the
weekend (its production budget was around $40 million).