'Mamma Mia,' 'Equalizer' Sequels Beat Box Office Expectations

Two new mid-budget sequels — Universal’s “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” and Sony’s “The Equalizer 2” — are on pace to beat expectations at the box office, with “Mamma Mia!” topping the charts with an estimated $39 million opening from 3,317 screens.

That opening tops the $27 million start for the first “Mamma Mia!,” even after inflation adjustment. The first film opened against “The Dark Knight” in 2008, yet still went on to have huge legs at the box office with $144 million domestic and $609 million worldwide, holding the record for the highest-grossing female-directed film of all-time until “Wonder Woman” topped it last year. The sequel is performing better with critics with a 78 percent Rotten Tomatoes score, while a mostly female audience gave it an A- on CinemaScore.

Also Read: 'Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again' Is 'Charming' and 'Joyful,' Critics Say

In second place is “Equalizer 2” with an estimated opening of $34 million from 3,388 screens. That matches the opening of the sequel’s 2014 predecessor, which went on to gross $101 million domestically. Pre-weekend tracking expected an opening in the mid-$20 million range. Critics have been mixed, giving it a 50 percent Rotten Tomatoes score, but fans of Denzel Washington have turned out to see the film and have enjoyed it, giving it an A on CinemaScore.

Sony also takes the third spot with “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation,” which has a $22-23 million second weekend total. That matches the $22 million the animated film made from Monday to Thursday in its first week in release and would give the film a $90 million 10-day total, matching that of “Hotel Transylvania 2.”

Also Read: 'The Equalizer 2' Film Review: Denzel Washington Returns as a Thinking Man's Action Hero

Marvel Studios’ “Ant-Man and the Wasp” takes fourth with an estimated $16 million, putting it in position to pass the $180 million domestic total of the first “Ant-Man” in the coming week. Finally, three films are in a virtual tie for fifth with $10-11 million: “Incredibles 2,” “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” and “Skyscraper.”

Outside the top five is BH Tilt’s “Unfriended: Dark Web,” which is falling below expectations with an estimated $3-4 million opening. The digital horror film has a C on CinemaScore and 57 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

20 Highest Grossing Movie Musicals of the Last 40 Years, From 'Grease' to 'La La Land' (Photos)

Who said the musical is dead? The last 40 years have produced box office hits out of film adaptations of Broadway smashes, original movie musicals and a few, beloved, all-time classics. Here are the 20 top-grossing live-action movie musicals of the last 40 years based on domestic box office. (All figures courtesy of BoxOfficeMojo)
20. "Moulin Rouge!" (2001) - $57.3 million

Baz Luhrmann didn't invent the jukebox musical, but his film's exuberant, garish mash-up of original songs with everything from Christina Aguilera to David Bowie to Rodgers & Hammerstein certainly helped popularize it for the 21st century.
Fox
19. "Coal Miner's Daughter" (1980) - $67.1 million

Sissy Spacek played the legendary country singer Loretta Lynn in Michael Apted's biopic that went on to be one of the Top 10 box office hits of 1980 and a Best Picture nominee.
Universal
18. "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" (1982) - $69.7 million

Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton starred in this adaptation of a stage hit about a sheriff fighting to keep a local brothel open after it's called out by a TV reporter. The film performed well enough at the box office to knock the long-running "E.T." from the No. 1 spot.
Universal
17. "Ray" (2004) - $75.3 million

Jamie Foxx won an Oscar for capturing the mannerisms of Ray Charles on stage, and though Foxx can sing himself, all the songs are Charles' original vocals.
Universal
16. "Annie" (2014) - $85.9 million

Instead of the freckled red head, the modern update to "Annie" starred "Beasts of the Southern Wild" star Quvenzhane Wallis in the lead role alongside Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx.
Columbia Pictures
15. "The Muppets" (2011) - $88.6 million

The Muppets had a big box office slump in the '90s and disappeared entirely in the 2000s. Jason Segel's musical helped make them relevant again.
Buena Vista
14. "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" (2008) - $90.5 million

The first two "High School Musical" films were such massive, surprise hit TV movies on the Disney Channel that they went all out for a theatrically released threequel that made over $90 million.
Disney
13. "Dreamgirls" (2006) - $103.3 million

Jennifer Hudson won an Oscar for her work in this Broadway-based drama about a trio of female soul singers who rose to the top of the charts. The cast included Beyonce, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, Anika Noni Rose and Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson.
Paramount
12. "Hairspray" (2007) - $118.8 million

It's the film adaptation of the stage musical adaptation of John Waters' campy kitsch movie, and somehow, Adam Shankman's film not only turned out to be a hit, it was a joyous, colorful and fun experience that critics loved, even with John Travolta dressed in drag.
New Line
11. "Walk the Line" (2005) - $119.5 million

Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon star in this emotional biopic on the life of Johnny Cash and his wife June Carter.
Fox
10. "Enchanted" (2007) - $127.8 million

The movie that made Amy Adams a star is finally getting a long-awaited sequel, the announced "Disenchanted."
Disney
9. "Into the Woods" (2014) - $128.0 million

Meryl Streep and Chris Pine stole the show in Rob Marshall's adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical sending up classic fairy tales.
Disney
8. "Mamma Mia!" (2008) - $144.1 million

The first "Mamma Mia!" film, an adaptation of the stage hit featuring the songs of ABBA, made a whopping $144 million, opening on the same weekend as "The Dark Knight."
Universal
7. "Les Misérables" (2012) - $148.8 million

Tom Hooper followed up his Best Picture-winning "The King's Speech" with this lavish and dizzying musical that won Anne Hathaway an Oscar. He'll go back to the Broadway musical well for his next film, "Cats."
Fox
6. "La La Land" (2016) - $151.1 million

The almost-Best Picture winner from Damien Chazelle was also runner-up as the highest grossing Best Picture nominee of 2016, falling behind "Hidden Figures."
Lionsgate
5. "Chicago" (2002) - $170.6 million

Rob Marshall's "Chicago" won six Oscars, including Best Picture, and helped launch the genre's revival on the big screen this century.
Miramax
4. "The Greatest Showman" (2017) - $174.3 million

Hugh Jackman's factually loose biopic about the life of P.T. Barnum and the formation of the circus catapulted to success on the heels of its Oscar-nominated song "This is Me" by the "La La Land" songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.
NIko Tavernise/20th Century Fox
3. "Straight Outta Compton" (2015) - $161.1 million

F. Gary Gray's biopic about N.W.A did a wonderful job making the legendary rap crew's music vital and timely and even balanced the three stories of Eazy-E, Ice Cube and Dr. Dre nicely.
Universal
2. "Grease" (1978) - $188.7 million

Though its box office total is inflated somewhat by a re-release, "Grease" still holds up not just as one of the best musicals of the last 40 years but also the most successful (certainly given inflation).
Paramount Pictures
1. "Beauty and the Beast" (2017) - $504.0 million

Disney struck gold with its live-action adaptation of the animated hit "Beauty and the Beast," lovingly re-created to minute detail by director Bill Condon with a cast led by Harry Potter alum Emma Watson.
Disney

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Can “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” match the box office success of the original?

Who said the musical is dead? The last 40 years have produced box office hits out of film adaptations of Broadway smashes, original movie musicals and a few, beloved, all-time classics. Here are the 20 top-grossing live-action movie musicals of the last 40 years based on domestic box office. (All figures courtesy of BoxOfficeMojo)

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