Worldwide box office November 19-22
| Rank | Film (distributor) | 3-day (World) | Cume (World) | 3-day (Int’l) | Cume (Int’l) | Territories |
| 1. | Ghostbusters: Afterlife (Sony) | $60m | $60m | $16m | $16m | 32 |
| 2. | Eternals (Disney) | $33.5m | $336.1m | $22.7m | $200.3m | 50 |
| 3. | Be Somebody (various) | $23.8m | $60.3m | - | - | 1 |
| 4. | Door Lock (various) | $19.9m | $20m | - | - | 1 |
| 5. | No Time To Die (Universal) | $16.1m | $734m | $13.4m | $579.4m | 73 |
‘Ghostbusters’ sequel tops global chart
A strong start in North America and a decent start in its first 32 international markets combine to land Sony’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife at the top of the worldwide box office chart, shoving aside Disney’s Eternals. Estimated box office is $44.0m in North America and $16.0m for international, combining for $60.0m globally.
Among international markets, UK/Ireland performed powerfully with a four-day estimated $5.8m, topping the chart. The Ghostbusters sequel also opened top in Mexico (with an estimated $2.4m) and Italy ($1.4m).
Many key markets are yet to release, including France and South Korea (both December 1), Russia and Spain (both December 2), Australia (January 1) and Japan (February 4). A slot for China has yet to be determined.
The film is tracking ahead of Free Guy by 52%, Jungle Cruise by 26%, and Cruella by 94% for the same group of markets at the same stage of release.
As a historical comparison, Paul Feig’s female-fronted Ghostbusters reboot began with a very similar $46.0m in North America in 2016. International comparisons are hard to make as the pattern of the rollout was different, but Feig’s film opened with a seven-day £4.4m in the UK, which would convert to $5.9m at today’s exchange rates. Feig’s Ghostbusters reached a lifetime total of $128.4m in North America, $100.8m for international and $229.1m worldwide.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife is directed by Jason Reitman, who co-writes with Gil Kenan, and is produced by Ivan Reitman. The film transplants the storyline to rural Oklahoma, also offering a coming-of-age angle as two young siblings (Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace) inherit the ghostbusting mantle from their deceased grandfather.
Also for Sony, Venom: Let There Be Carnage opened in Indonesia, topping the chart with an estimated $2.0m. Overall, the film now stands at $248.2m in international markets, $206.5m in North America and $454.7m worldwide.
‘No Time To Die’ breaks pandemic box office record
UPDATED: Saturday (November 20) saw Universal/MGM’s No Time To Die overtake Universal’s Fast & Furious 9 to become the biggest US studio film of the pandemic era. Total worldwide box office is now $734.3m, which breaks down as $154.7m in North America and $579.6m for international. Fast & Furious 9 reached $725.3m.
Highlights for the film at the weekend included Australia, which added $4.8m in its second weekend, taking the total there to $15.2m. A strong hold in Germany saw No Time To Die retain the top spot, resisting the challenge of Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
In the Netherlands, No Time To Die is still topping the box office chart in its eighth week of release. The $22.2m total is the fifth-biggest of all time in the territory, overtaking Avatar and Skyfall.
With $734m, No Time To Die has now reached 83% of Spectre’s lifetime global total of $881m, and 66% of Skyfall’s $1.11bn tally.
‘King Richard’ disappoints with $8.2m debut
UPDATED: Warner Bros’ King Richard got off to a rather tentative start at the weekend, with a fourth-placed $5.5m debut in North America (where it’s also available on HBO Max), and $2.4m in 30 early international markets (representing roughly 22% of the international business) – combining for $7.9m worldwide. King Richard ranked eighth place in Comscore’s weekend worldwide box office chart.
Among international markets, UK/Ireland led the way with a confirmed $766,000, ahead of Saudi Arabia ($374,000) and Russia/CIS ($280,000). Many major markets are yet to release, including France, Germany, Italy and Spain in Europe, plus Brazil, Mexico and Australia.
Dune added $4.5m from 74 international markets for a $267.2m running total. Top markets are China on $38.7m, France on $31.1m and UK on $27.7m. Australia and New Zealand are scheduled to open on December 2 and Vietnam will release on December 10.
Disney’s ‘Eternals’ ranks second in worldwide weekend chart
Disney’s Eternals experienced reasonably hefty drops in its third session, falling 60% in North America and 53% in international markets. The cosmic-flavoured superhero film grossed an estimated $33.5m overall at the weekend, pushing the global total to $336.1m.
For comparison, Black Widow had reached $315m after three weekends of play back in July. Black Widow was available simultaneously on cinemas and on Disney+ Premier Access. Marvel’s Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings had reached $321m after three weekends of play.
The weekend saw Eternals overtake Disney’s Free Guy to become the eighth-biggest US studio film of 2021, behind No Time To Die, Fast & Furious 9, Godzilla Vs Kong, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, Black Widow and Dune.
Also for Disney, Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch has now reached an estimated $18.8m in international, from 32 markets, led by UK/Ireland ($5.0m), ahead of France ($3.1m). The weekend saw the film open in third place in Russia with an estimated $800,000 – the best opening for a Wes Anderson title in that market.
The French Dispatch has also grossed an estimated $13.3m in North America, taking the global total to $32.1m.
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