Box Office Round Up - 1-7-19

The king of the sea is the king of the box office once again. Aquaman holds court for another week, and America's appetite for superhero flicks remains insatiable. It's no wonder Hollywood can't stop pumping them out. Even a relatively unknown caped crusader who's only previous film apperances were Justice League films that nobody liked is about to do a billion dollars worldwide. There is no more sure thing in moviemaking than comic books. One crucial question remains: Who did the character best, Jason Momoa or Vinny Chase?
 
Debuting at number two is the psychological horror film Escape Room. The thriller, in the vein of the Saw franchise, sees a group of people brought together to compete in an escape room that's far deadlier than meets the eye. The more January releases the better, we say. Meanwhile, musical fantasy Mary Poppins Returns slips down to three, although the worldwide gross just ticked past a quarter of a billion dollars. Something tells me they aren't going to wait 54 years again to make another sequel. Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda are both supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! 
 
Bumblebee, the latest installment in the Transformers franchise, drops down to fifth in its third weekend in theatres. It's the first film in the series to not be directed by Michael Bay, with Travis Knight, son of Nike founder Phil Knight, stepping behind the camera for his live-action debut. As the title suggests, this edition follows the character of the same name as he crash lands in California in 1987, and is helped out by a teenaged girl played by Hailee Steinfeld. It's been a hit with audiences and critics alike, with many calling it the best film in the Transformers series. Just put John Cena in every single movie already! 
 
 
1. Aquaman ($30.7 MM)
Director: James Wan (Paradigm)
Writers: David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick (Paradigm), Will Beall (CAA)
 
Cast: Jason Momoa (WME)
        Amber Heard  (WME)
        Willem Dafoe (CAA)
 
 
2.  Escape Room ($18 MM)
Director: Adam Robitel (CAA)
Writesr: Bragi F. Schut (Verve), Maria Melnik (WME) 
 
Cast: Taylor Russell (UTA)
        Logan Miller (Innovative Artists)
        Deborah Ann Woll (CAA)
 
 
3. Mary Poppins Returns ($15.8 MM)
Director: Rob Marshall (CAA)
Writer: David Magee (CAA)
 
Cast: Emily Blunt (CAA)
        Lin-Manuel Miranda (WME | Liebman)
        Ben Whishaw (CAA)
 
 
4. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse ($13 MM)
Directors: Bob Persichetti (UTA), Peter Ramsey (Verve), Rodney Rothman (UTA)
Writers: Phil Lord (UTA), Rodney Rothman
 
Cast: Shameik Moore (CAA)
        Jake Johnson  (UTA | 3 Arts)
        Hailee Steinfeld (CAA)
 
 
5. Bumblebee ($12.8 MM)
Director: Travis Knight (CAA)
Writer: Christina Hodson (CAA)
 
Cast: Hailee Steinfeld (CAA)
        John Cena (ICM Partners)
        Jorge Lendeborg Jr. (CAA | Mosaic)