‘The Grinch’ Opens to $66 Million at the Box Office

The Grinch has stolen its opening weekend at the box office.

Universal-Illumination’s adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ 1957 Christmas classic will open to $66 million. That slightly better than early forecasts, which predicted a high of about $65 million for the film’s first three days. The film is up against a production budget of $75 million.

Based on How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the animated film stars the voice of Benedict Cumberbatch as the Grinch. He’s joined by Rashida Jones, Kenan Thompson, Angela Lansbury, and Pharrell Williams.

Illumination previously adapted Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax into an animated film in 2012. How the Grinch Stole Christmas was adapted into a live-action movie starring Jim Carrey in 2000.

Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody will come in second place with about $30 million in its second weekend. The film was directed by Bryan Singer and written by Anthony McCarten. It stars Rami Malek as Mercury, as well as Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joseph Mazzello, Aidan Gillen, Tom Hollander, and Mike Myers.

The JJ Abrams-produced Overlord will open in third place with $10 million. The film is directed by Julius Avery and follows a group of American soldiers dropped behind enemy lines on the eve of D-Day on a mission to stop horrific Nazi experiments.

The Girl in the Spider’s Web, the soft reboot of the Millennium series, will open in fifth place, behind Disney’s The Nutcracker and the Four Realms in fourth. The film is a follow-up to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo but sees Claire Foy replacing Rooney Mara in the lead role of Lisbeth Salander. The film will earn $8 million in its first weekend.

Sony Pictures’ Venom will earn another $4.8 million this weekend. The film crossed the $200 million mark at the domestic box office earlier this week.

Keep reading to see the top 10 at this weekend’s box office.

1. The Grinch

Opening Weekend
Friday: $18.8 million
Weekend: $66 million

The Grinch and his loyal dog, Max, live a solitary existence inside a cave on Mount Crumpet. His main source of aggravation comes during Christmastime when his neighbors in Whoville celebrate the holidays with a bang. When the Whos decide to make Christmas bigger and brighter, the disgruntled Grinch realizes there is one way to gain peace and quiet. With help from Max, the green grump hatches a scheme to pose as Santa Claus, steal Christmas and silence the Whos’ holiday cheer once and for all.

The Grinch is directed by Yarrow Cheney and Scott Mosier, written by Michael LeSieur and Tommy Swerdlow, and stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Rashida Jones, Kenan Thompson, Cameron Seely, and Angela Lansbury.

2. Bohemian Rhapsody

Week Two
Friday: $8.5 million
Weekend: $30.8 million
Total: $100 million

Bohemian Rhapsody is a foot-stomping celebration of Queen, their music and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury. Freddie defied stereotypes and shattered convention to become one of the most beloved entertainers on the planet. The film traces the meteoric rise of the band through their iconic songs and revolutionary sound. They reach unparalleled success, but in an unexpected turn Freddie, surrounded by darker influences, shuns Queen in pursuit of his solo career. Having suffered greatly without the collaboration of Queen, Freddie manages to reunite with his bandmates just in time for Live Aid. While bravely facing a recent AIDS diagnosis, Freddie leads the band in one of the greatest performances in the history of rock music. Queen cements a legacy that continues to inspire outsiders, dreamers and music lovers to this day

Bohemian Rhapsody is directed by Bryan Singer, written by Anthony McCarten, and stars Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joseph Mazzello, Aidan Gillen, Tom Hollander, Allen Leech and Mike Myers.

3. Overlord

Opening Weekend
Friday: $3.9 million
Weekend: $10.1 million

On the eve of D-Day, American paratroopers drop behind enemy lines to penetrate the walls of a fortified church and destroy a radio transmitter. As the soldiers approach their target, they soon begin to realize that there’s more going on in the Nazi-occupied village than a simple military operation. Making their way to an underground lab, the outnumbered men stumble upon a sinister experiment that forces them into a vicious battle against an army of the undead.

Overlord is directed by Julius Avery, written by Billy Ray and Mark L. Smith, and stars Jovan Adepo, Wyatt Russell, Mathilde Ollivier, John Magaro, Gianny Taufer, Pilou Asbæk, and Bokeem Woodbine.

4. The Nutcracker and the Four Realms

Week Two
Friday: $2.5 million
Weekend: $9.5 million
Total: $35.25 million

Young Clara needs a magical, one-of-a-kind key to unlock a box that contains a priceless gift. A golden thread leads her to the coveted key, but it soon disappears into a strange and mysterious parallel world. In that world, she meets a soldier named Phillip, a group of mice and the regents who preside over three realms. Clara and Phillip must now enter a fourth realm to retrieve the key and restore harmony to the unstable land.

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is directed by Lasse Hallström and Joe Johnston and written by Ashleigh Powell, based on ETA Hoffmann’s short story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” and Marius Petipa’s ballet The Nutcracker. The film stars Keira Knightley, Mackenzie Foy, Eugenio Derbez, Matthew Macfadyen, Richard E. Grant, Misty Copeland, Helen Mirren, and Morgan Freeman.

5. The Girl in the Spider’s Web

Opening Weekend
Friday: $3.1 million
Weekend: $8 million

Fired from the National Security Agency, Frans Balder recruits hacker Lisbeth Salander to steal FireWall, a computer program that can access codes for nuclear weapons worldwide. The download soon draws attention from an NSA agent who traces the activity to Stockholm. Further problems arise when Russian thugs take Lisbeth’s laptop and kidnap a math whiz who can make FireWall work. Now, Lisbeth and an unlikely ally must race against time to save the boy and recover the codes to avert disaster.

The Girl in the Spider’s Web is directed by Fede Álvarez and written by Steven Knight, Álvarez and Jay Basu. The film is based on the novel by David Lagercrantz, the first book in the Millennium series written and published after the death of original author Stieg Larsson. It is also a sequel to the film adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, though it features a new cast. It stars Claire Foy, Sverrir Gudnason, LaKeith Stanfield, Sylvia Hoeks, and Stephen Merchant.

6. A Star Is Born

Week Six
Friday: $2.3 million
Weekend: $8 million
Total: $178 million

Seasoned musician Jackson Maine discovers — and falls in love with — struggling artist Ally. She has just about given up on her dream to make it big as a singer until Jackson coaxes her into the spotlight. But even as Ally’s career takes off, the personal side of their relationship is breaking down, as Jackson fights an ongoing battle with his own internal demons.

A Star is Born is a remake of the 1937 film of the same name that is produced, directed by, and stars Bradley Cooper. Cooper also co-wrote the film’s screenplay with Eric Roth and Will Fetters. The film also stars Lady Gaga, Andrew Dice Clay, Dave Chappelle, and Sam Elliott, 

7. Nobody’s Fool

Week Two
Friday: $1.8 million
Weekend: $6.5 million
Total: $24.27 million

Wild child Tanya looks to her buttoned-up, by-the-book sister Danica to help her get back on her feet. As these polar opposites collide, Tanya soon discovers that Danica’s picture-perfect life and boyfriend may not be what they seem.

Nobody’s Fool is written and directed by Tyler Perry. It stars Tiffany Haddish, Tika Sumpter, Omari Hardwick, Mehcad Brooks, Amber Riley, and Whoopi Goldberg.

8. Venom

Week Six
Friday: $1.3 million
Weekend: $4.85 million
Total: $206.23 million

Journalist Eddie Brock is trying to take down Carlton Drake, the notorious and brilliant founder of the Life Foundation. While investigating one of Drake’s experiments, Eddie’s body merges with the alien Venom — leaving him with superhuman strength and power. Twisted, dark and fueled by rage, Venom tries to control the new and dangerous abilities that Eddie finds so intoxicating.

Venom is directed by Ruben Fleischer, written by Scott Rosenberg, Jeff Pinkner, and Kelly Marcel, and stars Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Scott Haze, and Reid Scott.

9. Halloween

Week Four
Friday: $1.2 million
Weekend: $3.8 million
Total: $156.8 million

It’s been 40 years since Laurie Strode survived a vicious attack from crazed killer Michael Myers on Halloween night. Locked up in an institution, Myers manages to escape when his bus transfer goes horribly wrong. Laurie now faces a terrifying showdown when the masked madman returns to Haddonfield, Ill. — but this time, she’s ready for him.

Halloween is directed by David Gordon Green from a script by Green, Jeff Fradley, and Danny McBride. The film stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Nick Castle, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Will Patton, and Virginia Gardner.

10. The Hate U Give

Week Six
Friday: $555,000 million
Weekend: $2.1 million
Total: $26.7 million

Starr Carter is constantly switching between two worlds — the poor, mostly black neighborhood where she lives and the wealthy, mostly white prep school that she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is soon shattered when she witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend at the hands of a police officer. Facing pressure from all sides of the community, Starr must find her voice and decide to stand up for what’s right.

The Hate You Give is directed by George Tillman Jr. and written by Audrey Wells, based on the novel of the same name by Angie Thomas. The film stars Amandla Stenberg, Regina Hall, Russell Hornsby, KJ Apa, Algee Smith, Lamar Johnson, Issa Rae, Sabrina Carpenter, Common, and Anthony Mackie.