'The Grinch' easily wins the weekend box office, while 'Girl in the Spider's Web' bombs
- The latest animated movie by the studio behind "Despicable Me" and "Minions" has another hit with "The Grinch."
- This most recent retelling of the classic Dr. Seuss story won the weekend box office with $66 million.
- This opening bests the 2000 Jim Carrey-starring version, which had a $55 million opening.
- But it wasn't good news for "The Girl in the Spider's Web." The $40 million-plus reboot of the Lisbeth Salander franchise only had an $8 million opening.
It seems like everyone is already in the holiday spirit as the latest telling of the Dr. Seuss classic, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" took a nice bite out of the US box office over the weekend.
The most recent title from animation studio Illumination (creators of "Despicable Me," "Minions," and "Sing") has definitely put a smile on Universal's face, which releases the animation studio's works. The movie took in an estimated $66 million to easily win the weekend.
Benedict Cumberbatch had the task of voicing the green menace of Whoville and seems to have passed with flying colors. Previously, the holiday classic was told with the ambitious live-action 2000 release, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," with Jim Carrey playing the title role.
That had a $55 million opening and went on to earn over $345 million worldwide.
While Universal/Illumination found success dusting off a known property, Sony/MGM/New Regency didn't have the same luck with "The Girl in the Spider's Web."
Sony will have to work a lot harder to make back its money this time. The revamp of the franchise with Claire Foy in the lead and Fede Alvarez ("Don't Breathe") directing didn't excite audiences, as the movie only took in $8 million over the weekend (its production budget was around $40 million).