As expected Ready Player One delivered a strong box office over the weekend. We’re not talking Marvel-strong, but strong none the less. The film brought in $41.2 million over the Easter weekend, and dominated internationally with a total of $128 million. Positive buzz and Spielberg’s name in big letters obviously did the job here, and with kids on spring break (spring break, ya’ll) it’ll probably have long legs until Infinity War land and kicks off the summer movie season. Even if it doesn’t it gave Spielberg his biggest box office in 10 years.
That positive buzz didn’t really come from me, though. I had some pretty big issues with the movie, and I’d rank it on the low end of Spielberg’s work. He made the best of what he got, but I don’t really think he got all that much to work with. Which brings me to the question of the week: what’s your favorite Spielberg film?
I’m a sucker for Indiana Jones: And the Last Crusade. It brings together Spielberg’s amazing visual storytelling, one of cinemas best characters, and Sean Connery. What more could a guy ask for, really?
An interesting side note, and one more reason that Hollywood is working hard to please Chinese audiences, this is the third weekend in a row that a tent pole level film has opened bigger in China than in the U.S. ($61.7 million vs. $41.2 million).
1. Ready Player One – $41,210,000
2. Tyler Perry’s Acrimony – $17,100,000
3. Black Panther – $11,263,000
4. I Can Only Imagine – $10,750,685
5. Pacific Rim: Uprising – $9,205,000
6. Sherlock Gnomes – $7,000,000
7. Love, Simon – $4,800,000
8. Tomb Raider – $4,700,000
9. A Wrinkle in Time – $4,694,000
10. Paul, Apostle of Christ – $3,500,000
