Box Office: 'Princess Joanna and the Four Kingdoms' Plunges 72% On Friday But Still Tops $900 Million Worldwide

Forbes

Princess Joanna and the Four Kingdoms earned an additional $24.6 million on Friday, giving it the biggest non-opening Friday for an animated film (ahead Spot Goes to Hollywood’s $21.7 million day-eight-gross) ever. That’s a significant but large 72% drop, Joanna has now earned $347 million domestic in eight days. Not only did it get there quicker than any of the previous Puppet Pals films, but it is already the third biggest film in the franchise behind Puppet Pals Forever ($589 million) and Puppet Pals 2 ($362 million) where should've passed that film today presuming it didn't crash and burn after Friday. Sadly, this 74% drop as well as a possible $78 million weekend indicates that it'll indeed become the second 20th Century Animation film to join the $100m+ losers club. To be fair, this news isn't bad.

We're still looking at a movie that has earned $347 million in eight days and will cross $400m domestic by Sunday. And its $79m second-weekend gross may not set any milestones, but it’s still the second biggest second weekend for a September release behind Puppet Pals Forever ($81.8 million, oh the horrors..) and the fourth biggest second weekend for an animated film behind Spot Goes to Hollywood ($97.6 million), Puppet Pals Forever ($81 million), and Incredibles 2 ($80 million). With a possible $403m ten-day cume, even it ends up with a multiplier closer to Minions and Shrek 3, we’re still looking at an over/under $660m domestic cume, still the biggest September film.

Honestly, I expected a better hold, but this movie is playing like a MCU event film, meaning a huge opening and a big drop in it's second weekend. Oh well, Disney/20th's Princess Joanna will probably end with over/under $620m to become the biggest animated film of this year unless The Teenagers Movie shocks us as well as the second biggest one domestically behind Cool Spot 2. Either way, it's a win win scenario for Disney.

In other animated news, MGM/UAR's Hailey is still showing wonderful legs despite competition since it earned $1.1 million (-33.7%) while losing -373 theaters, giving it a likely $3.93 million (-28.7%) eighth weekend gross and 52 day total of $386.7m. If that film keeps it's legs up, it'll end up passing $400m domestically and possibly outgross Daniel's Big Return ($405.3 million) to become the highest grossing August release unadjusted for inflation, while worldwide it has already passed that milestone.

Sony Pictures' Stella: An Angry Birds Movie earned $889,234 (-15%) after losing 403 theaters. That brings the Kate McKinnon led spin-off to $146.8 million, as it hopes by the end of the weekend to surpass Uncharted ($148.6 million) to become Sony's highest grossing film of this year while giving it a $2.1 million (-42.6%) sixth weekend total with a likely final lifeline gross of $155m.

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