Liam Neeson’s Honest Thief Tops This Week’s Box Office Chart

Liam Neeson’s latest thriller Honest Thief tops this week’s box office chart. The box office in general is still struggling amid the coronavirus pandemic, but Honest Thief managed to bring $3.7 million from 2,425 theaters during its second weekend in theaters. The film stars Neeson as a bank robber who agrees to return the money he stole for a reduced sentence only to be double-crossed by a pair of FBI agents and framed for a crime he didn’t commit. The film follows him as he does whatever it takes to clear his name and expose the corrupt agents.

Also on this week’s chart is family comedy The War with Grandpa starring Robert De Niro. Christopher Nolan’s Tenet is in third place after eight weeks. Disney’s The New Mutants is in seventh.

There are also two welcome holiday returns. Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas returns to theaters in fourth place. Hocus Pocus, now in its third week of re-release, is in fifth place.

There are two openers this week. The romantic drama 2 Hearts opens in sixth place while Love and Monsters, a post-apocalyptic blend of action and romance, opens in ninth place. Keep reading to see this week’s chart.

1. Honest Thief

• Week Two
• Weekend: $3.7 million
• Total: $4.2 million

Hoping to cut a deal, a professional bank robber agrees to return all the money he stole in exchange for a reduced sentence. But when two FBI agents set him up for murder, he must now go on the run to clear his name and bring them to justice.

Honest Thief is directed by Mark Williams, from a screenplay Williams co-wrote with Steve Allrich. The movie stars Liam Neeson, Kate Walsh, Robert Patrick, Anthony Ramos, Jeffrey Donovan, and Jai Courtney.

2. The War with Grandpa

• Week Two
• Weekend: $2.5 million
• Total: $4.2 million

Peter and his grandpa used to be very close, but when Grandpa Jack moves in with the family, Peter is forced to give up his most prized possession: his bedroom. Peter will stop at nothing to get his room back, scheming with friends to devise a series of pranks to drive him out. However, grandpa doesn’t give up easily, and it turns into an all-out war between the two.

The War with Grandpa is directed by Tim Hill from a screenplay by Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember, based on Robert Kimmel Smith’s novel of the same name. The film stars Robert De Niro, Oakes Fegley, Uma Thurman, Rob Riggle, Laura Marano, Cheech Marin, Jane Seymour, and Christopher Walken.

3. Tenet

• Week Eight
• Weekend: $1.6 million
• Total: $50.6 million

A secret agent embarks on a dangerous, time-bending mission to prevent the start of World War III.

Tenet is directed by Christopher Nolan and stars  John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, and Kenneth Branagh.

4. The Nightmare Before Christmas

• Opening Weekend (of re-release)
• Weekend: $1.3 million
• Total: $50.6 million

Bored with the same old scare-and-scream routine, Pumpkin King Jack Skellington longs to spread the joy of Christmas. But his merry mission puts Santa in jeopardy and creates a nightmare for good little boys and girls everywhere!

The Nightmare Before Christmas is directed by Henry Selick, based on ideas from Tim Burton. Danny Elfman wrote the film’s songs and score and is the singing voice of Jack Skellington. The voice cast also includes Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara, William Hickey, Ken Page, Paul Reubens, Glenn Shadix, and Ed Ivory.

5. Hocus Pocus

Week Three (of re-release)

Weekend: $756,000

Total: $43.6 million

After moving to Salem, Mass., teenager Max Dennison (Omri Katz) explores an abandoned house with his sister Dani (Thora Birch) and their new friend, Allison (Vinessa Shaw). After dismissing a story Allison tells as superstitious, Max accidentally frees a coven of evil witches (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy) who used to live in the house. Now, with the help of a magical cat, the kids must steal the witches’ book of spells to stop them from becoming immortal.
 
Hocus Pocus is directed by Kenny Ortega, written by Neil Cuthbert and Mick Garris, and stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, Omri Katz, Thora Birch, and Vinessa Shaw.

6. 2 Hearts

• Opening Weekend
• Weekend: $565,000

A college student falls madly in love with a classmate, while a Cuban exile falls for a beautiful flight attendant.

2 Hearts is directed by Lance Hool and stars Jacob Elordi, Adan Canto, Tiera Skovbye, and Radha Mitchell.

7. The New Mutants

• Week Eight
• Weekend: $465,000
• Total: $22.7 million

Five teenage mutants — Mirage, Wolfsbane, Cannonball, Sunspot and Magik — undergo treatments at a secret institution that will cure them of their dangerous powers. Invited by Dr. Cecilia Reyes to share their stories, their memories soon turn into terrifying realities as they start to question why they’re being held and who’s trying to destroy them.

The New Mutants is directed by Josh Boone and stars Maisie Williams, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Alice Braga, Blu Hunt, and Henry Zaga.

8. Unhinged

• Week 10
• Weekend: $425,000
• Total: $20 million

Rachel is a single mother whose bad day gets even worse when she beeps her horn at a fellow driver during rush-hour traffic. After an exchange of words, she soon realizes that the mysterious man is following her and her young son in his truck. The initial case of road rage quickly escalates into full-blown terror as Rachel discovers the psychopath’s sinister plan for revenge.

Unhinged is directed by Derrick Borte and stars Russell Crowe, Caren Pistorius, Gabriel Bateman, Jimmi Simpson, and Austin P. McKenzie.

9. Love and Monsters

• Opening Weekend
• Weekend: $225,000

Seven years after the Monsterpocalypse, Joel Dawson, along with the rest of humanity, has been living underground ever since giant creatures took control of the land. After reconnecting over the radio with his high school girlfriend, Aimee, who is now 80 miles away at a coastal colony, Joel begins to fall for her again. As Joel realizes that there’s nothing left for him underground, he decides to venture out to Aimee, despite all the dangerous monsters that stand in his way.

Love and Monsters is directed by Michael Matthews and stars Dylan O’Brien, Michael Rooker, Ariana Greenblatt, and Jessica Henwick.