User blog:Ceauntay/Weekend Box Office: 'Heroes Forever: The New Resolution' Makes The Big Victory With $140M

= 'Thor: Ragnarok' holds strong, while 'Daddy's Home 2' and 'Murder on the Orient Express' off to a solid start. =

Heroes Forever: The New Resolution got off an extremely massive start earning a better-than-expected $140.6 million from 4,225 locations.

The pic now made it the fourth largest opener of 2017 behind Beauty and the Beast ($174 million), Teen Titans 2 ($164 million) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 ($146 million), and second largest opening in the Jane Hoop Elementary series just behind Jane Hoop Elementary: The Final Rush - Part 2 ($165.2 million), and significantly higher than Heroes Forever: The New Resolution ($76.4 million).

It also got off a massive start overseas demolishing $214 million, for a global total to $354 million, making it one of the biggest global debut in history.

The first Heroes Forever film performed a soft $76.4 million on it's opening day last year.

Heroes Forever: The New Resolution scores a 88% score from Rotten Tomatoes, and scored a A+ CinemaScore. It opened in 4,225 locations.

Directed by Gary Ross, who also directs the last four Jane Hoop Elementary films and the first The Hunger Games, the sequel stars returning young actors as the heroes (Cameron Boyce, G. Hannelius, Marcus Scribner, Mika Abdalla and Jake Short) as they face with yet another challenge in their lives.

None of the other films will beat Heroes Forever: The New Resolution as star-studded Murder on the Orient and holiday comedy Daddy's Home 2 got off a solid start, but both will land behind previous holdover Thor: Ragnarok.

The better-than-expected openings of Daddy's Home 2 and Murder on the Orient Express — which took in $30 million and $28.2 million, respectively, over the weekend — provided a much-needed balm after a string of fall films were spurned by audiences.

The losing streak, of course, doesn't apply to Disney and Marvel Studios' Thor: Ragnarok. The tentpole won the frame with $56.6 million for a 10-day domestic tally of $211.6 million. Overseas, Ragnarok also topped the chart with $75.9 million for a foreign total of $438.5 million and a global cume of $650.1 million. In North America, the threequel has already surpassed the first two Thor films, as well as boasting the best hold of any title in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (54 percent).

Paramount's Daddy's Home 2, playing in 3,565 theaters, came in second after laughing past Orient Express and fighting off the comedy curse, thanks to a strong family turnout. The movie landed the second-biggest bow of the year for a comedy behind Girls Trip ($31.7 million). Paramount was in sore need of a victory after such mishaps as Darren Aronofsky's mother! and George Clooney's Suburbicon.

The sequel sees the return of Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell, with Mel Gibson and John Lithgow joining the cast. This time out, Dusty (Wahlberg) and Brad (Ferrell) join forces to create the perfect holiday for their kids, but their alliance is put to the test when their own fathers show up. Linda Cardellini, John Cena and Alessandra Ambrosio also star.

Daddy's Home 2, rated PG-13, marks Gibson's best opening as an actor since Signs in 2002. (He made his comeback as a director last year with Hacksaw Ridge.)

The first Daddy's Home launched to $38.7 million over its Christmas 2015 weekend debut, but had the advantage of playing to families for the holidays. The follow-up scored an A- CinemaScore, compared to a B+ for the first one.

"The movie is satisfying the family audience and the comedy audience," says Paramount domestic distribution chief Kyle Davies. "And because of the holiday element, we wanted the most runway before the actual holidays." Fox's star-studded Murder on the Orient Express, which placed third, is a victory for the sort of adult-skewing fare that has suffered with the advent of Netflix and other platforms. Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of Agatha Christie's iconic train-set mystery, playing in 3,341 theaters, beat projections despite so-so reviews and a B CinemaScore. Overseas, the movie grossed $45.8 million from 57 markets for a global cume of $85.4 million.

In addition to directing, Branagh stars in the pic opposite Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Michelle Pfeiffer, Josh Gad, Derek Jacobi, Leslie Odom Jr. and Daisy Ridley.

"This is a classic Hollywood movie with a big cast that's based on existing IP. All the elements came together," says Fox domestic distribution president Chris Aronson. "And Ken's achievement both behind and in front of the camera is pretty remarkable."

STXfilms' R-rated comedy Bad Moms Christmas impressed in its second weekend, grossing $11.5 million for a domestic total of $39.9 million. The sequel dipped 45 percent from its five-day debut and 31 percent from its first weekend proper.

Orient Express, Daddy's Home 2 and Bad Moms 2 are positioned to play through the Thanksgiving holiday.

At the specialty box office, Greta Gerwig's critically acclaimed dramedy Lady Bird continued to fly high as it expanded into a total of 37 theaters. From A24, the movie shot up to No. 10 with $1.2 million for a mighty screen average of $33,766 and a 10-day domestic total of $1.8 million.

Fox Searchlight's Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, starring Frances McDormand, Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson, posted a stellar screen average of $80,000 in its debut in four theaters in New York and Los Angeles.