Universal

Illumination/Universal’s “The Grinch” will pilfer the top spot on this weekend’s box office after making $18.6 million from 4,141 screens on Friday, with early estimates giving the Dr. Seuss adaptation a $67 million opening against a $75 million budget.

By comparison, Illumination’s previous Dr. Seuss film, “The Lorax,” opened to $70 million in spring 2012, a figure that “The Grinch” should pass on Monday with the help of school closures for Veterans Day if it hasn’t done so already by overperforming on Saturday and Sunday matinees.

Also Read: 'Nutcracker and the Four Realms': 4 Reasons Why It Cracked at the Box Office

Typical for most family films with this sort of start, “Grinch” earned an A- from CinemaScore polls, giving it the word of mouth its going to need if its going to continue performing well in the coming weeks against tough competition like “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” and “Ralph Breaks the Internet.”

In second this weekend with a strong hold is Fox/New Regency’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which is nearing the $100 million domestic mark with an estimated second weekend total of $28.6 million. That would be just a 44 percent drop from the film’s $51 million opening and give it a 10-day total of $97 million. With family films dominating the new release slate in the coming weeks, “Bohemian” sits as a unique offering for audiences and should continue to post the sort of strong holds that “A Star Is Born” showed last month.

The bombing “Nutcracker and the Four Realms” sits in third with an estimated $9.7 million in its second weekend, just ahead of this weekend’s two other new releases, Paramount’s “Overlord” and Sony’s “The Girl in the Spider’s Web.”

Also Read: October Box Office Finishes Over $800 Million for First Time Ever

Both newcomers have earned a B on CinemaScore and are currently projected to finish on the lower end of their opening weekend projections. “Overlord,” a J.J. Abrams-produced WWII horror film that has an 80 percent Rotten Tomatoes score, is currently projected to open to around $9.5 million from 2,859 screens.

“The Girl in the Spider’s Web,” which did not perform as well with critics with a 44 percent Rotten Tomatoes score, is looking at a $8 million opening from 2,929 screens. By comparison, the 2011 adaptation of “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” opened to $12.7 million and went on to gross $230 million worldwide against a $90 million budget. “Spider’s Web” won’t reach that mark, but was made on a much cheaper $42 million budget.

'Nutcracker' and 10 More of the Biggest Bombs in Box Office History (Photos)

Even though Disney is currently the king of the box office, they aren't immune from a big misfire. With a $130 million budget and a $20 million opening "Nutcracker and the Four Realms" is shaping up to be one of 2018's biggest bombs. But will it be as infamous as some of these all-time flops?
Disney
"Ishtar" (1987) -- With reports of a rocky production and a budget that got way out of hand, critics and the Hollywood trades savaged Elaine May's adventure comedy starring Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman as it made just $14 million. For years, it was considered one of the worst films ever made, but is now considered by some to be a stealth success.
Sony Pictures
"47 Ronin" (2013) -- Though Keanu Reeves was on his game in the action scenes, this Japanese fantasy was panned for its story and cost Universal big, as it failed to make back its $175 million budget.
Universal
"Cutthroat Island" (1995) -- Geena Davis, still hot from "Thelma & Louise," found her star diminished by this infamous pirate comedy that only made $10 million against a $98 million budget. The script, cast and footage were repeatedly overhauled, and this bomb convinced Hollywood that pirate movies were poison... until "Pirates of the Caribbean" came around eight years later.
MGM
"The Black Cauldron" (1985) -- Known in animation history as the movie that nearly bankrupted Disney. With a then-animation record $44 million budget and Disney's first ever PG rating, it was a big risk for Disney that failed to pay off with just $21 million grossed. Fortunately, Disney held on and went on to kick off their Renaissance with "The Little Mermaid" four years later.
Disney
"Treasure Planet" (2002) -- On the other end of the Disney Renaissance was this labour of love from longtime Disney animators Ron Clements and John Musker. Sadly, this $140 million film supplanted "Black Cauldron" as Disney's biggest flop with just $110 million grossed, as families turned out to see "Harry Potter" instead. Still, the film has earned a cult following among Disney buffs.
Disney
"Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever" (2002) -- Two months before "Treasure Planet" came this $70 million action film about dueling spies (Antonio Banderas and Lucy Liu) that only made $14 million. But unlike "Treasure Planet," it was... and still is ...known as one of the worst movies ever made.
Warner Bros.
"The Adventures of Pluto Nash" (2002) -- Wow, 2002 had a lot of really bad bombs, didn't it? Eddie Murphy appears on this list thanks to a $100 million sci-fi comedy that only made $7 million and cost Warner Bros. $131 million. Fortunately for WB, the "Harry Potter" films easily bailed them out.
Warner Bros.
"Gigli" (2003) -- One of the most infamous movies ever made, one which launched 10 thousand tabloid articles. With a $75 million budget and just $7 million grossed, it was an albatross around Ben Affleck's neck until he won the Best Picture Oscar for "Argo" in 2012.
Columbia Pictures
"Waterworld" (1995) -- Maybe not one of the biggest flops, but certainly one of the most well-known. With a much-publicized troubled production which saw Kevin Costner take over as director, what was supposed to be a tentpole release for Universal ended up only making $262 million against an inflated $175 million budget that, at the time, made it one of the most expensive productions in Hollywood history.
Universal
"Heaven's Gate" (1980) -- This is the big one. A film that bombed so hard with just $3.5 million grossed that it led to the bankruptcy of one of Hollywood's most well-known studios, United Artists, and destroyed director Michael Cimino's reputation. But time has been kind to Cimino and "Heaven's Gate," with critics praising the film years later with an extended director's cut being hailed as a masterwork.
MGM

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“Nutcracker and the Four Realms” isn’t working with audiences, but it could be much worse

Even though Disney is currently the king of the box office, they aren't immune from a big misfire. With a $130 million budget and a $20 million opening "Nutcracker and the Four Realms" is shaping up to be one of 2018's biggest bombs. But will it be as infamous as some of these all-time flops?

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