Posting the biggest opening for an original comedy this year so far, the Jacob Tremblay-starring pic ends the two-week reign of 'Fast and Furious' spin-off 'Hobbs and Shaw'.
- Aug 19, 2019
AceShowbiz - "Good Boys" proves that R-rated comedy is still a force to reckon with. The movie about three foul-mouthed 12-year-olds navigating a series of misadventures exceeded analysts' pre-release expectations by more than 30 percent, collecting an estimated $21 million on its opening weekend.
The number is the biggest opening for an original comedy this year so far. The "Good Boys" win also gives off hope for original comedies, a genre that has been struggling at the box office lately. "This is a franchise-level opening," says movie consultant David A. Gross.
The Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg-produced movie is the first R-rated funny film to open in first place in three years since 2016's "The Boss" starring Melissa McCarthy. Both movies were released by Universal Pictures.
"The bottom line is the film is absolutely hysterical," said Jim Orr, Universal's president of domestic distribution, of the "Good Boys" quality that helped secure the box office victory. "Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg knocked it out of the park. And [Rogen and Goldberg] are a brand and really own this space with a very difficult genre." He added, "One of the reasons that made for a terrific weekend is our audience was very ethnically diverse. That lent itself to the overperformance."
"Good Boys" holds an approval rating of 80% with an average rating of 6.65/10 on Rotten Tomatoes. It received an average grade of "B+" on CinemaScore. The movie's audience consisted of 52% male.
"Good Boys" pushes former champion "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw" to the second place after two weeks atop the North American box office. The "Fast and Furious" spin-off added approximately $14.1 million to its domestic cume for a current total gross of $133.7 million domestically and $437 million worldwide.
Disney's "The Lion King (2019)" holds on to the third place with an estimated $11.9 million. "The Angry Birds Movie 2" debuted to approximately $10.5 million at the fourth place, for a current total of $16.2 since it arrived on Tuesday. The animated comedy received positive reviews from critics, who mostly deemed it as an improvement over its predecessor. According to Rotten Tomatoes, it is the best-reviewed film based on a video game.
Meanwhile, "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" plunges from No. 2 to No. 5 with an estimated $10 million, dropping 51.9% million from last week.
Top Ten Movies at Weekend Box Office for Aug. 16-18:
- "Good Boys" - $21 million
- "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw" - $14.1 million
- "The Lion King (2019)" - $11.9 million
- "The Angry Birds Movie 2" - $10.5 million
- "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" - $10 million
- "47 Meters Down: Uncaged" - $9 million
- "Dora and the Lost City of Gold" - $8.5 million
- "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" - $7.6 million
- "Blinded By the Light" - $4.45 million
- "The Art of Racing in the Rain" - $4.4
