“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” is on track to give Disney another first place finish after scoring $12.5 million in Friday’s domestic ticket sales.
If estimates hold, the Angelina Jolie-led film should finish the weekend with about $38 million — well below earlier forecasts but enough to top holdover “Joker” and fellow newcomer “Zombieland: Double Tap.” That’s also significantly lower than its predecessor, 2014’s “Maleficent,” which opened to $69 million and went on to earn more than $750 million worldwide.
“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” picks up where the first film left off, this time focusing on the mother-daughter strife between Maleficent and Aurora as the young princess gears up for her upcoming marriage. Joining Jolie for the sequel is Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple and Lesley Manville as well as newcomers Michelle Pfeiffer, Ed Skrein and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
Meanwhile, Sony’s “Zombieland: Double Tap”continues to battle it out for second place with Warner Bros.’ third weekend of “Joker.” The “Zombieland” sequel scored $10.5 million on Friday — about $2 million more than “Joker” — but estimates point to a third place finish behind “Joker” by the end of the weekend.
The original “Zombieland” premiered a decade ago to $24 million, ultimately grossing $76 million at the domestic box office. Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Abigail Breslin and Emma Stone are all returning for the sequel, which features new cast members Rosario Dawson, Zoey Deutch, Luke Wilson and Thomas Middleditch as well as some new kinds of zombies that have evolved since the first movie.
“Joker” scored another $8.6 million Friday and is set to take home an estimated $30 million in its third weekend. That would bring its domestic total up to around $226 million — a huge opening for its first 17 days at the box office.
United Artists Releasing, “The Addams Family” grossed $4.1 million Friday as it eyes a $14 million finish in its sophomore weekend, bringing its cumulative total up to $55 million.
“Gemini Man” continues to fall short at No. 5, taking home just $2.3 million on Friday as it heads for an estimated $8 million sophomore weekend — grim numbers for a film with a $138 million price tag.
