Every fortnight, we bring you the hottest films on the Global Box Office charts to give you an idea or two on what movie to catch at your local theatres.
1. Coco
Global weekend gross: USD55.3 million
Total gross: USD389.5 million
Get ready a box of tissues and cry your way through this one. Aspiring musician Miguel, against his family’s wishes, is hell-bent on pursuing the only thing they banned him from doing- music. He steals a guitar (and our hearts), and unwittingly enters the Land of the Dead on a journey to find his roots, but ends up dragging out a lot more than his heritage.
Combining humour, vibrant visuals and a storyline that will melt even the coldest of hearts, Coco makes us weep for the life that was innocently lost, rejoice for the family reunion and go “awwww” at cute lil ole grandma Coco. It’s a nice surprise that Coco did well not only in English speaking markets but scored big in China, where its culture is as far from the Mexican Day of the Dead as night and day. And that is precisely the magic of Pixar movies, they transcend language barriers, cultures and age, and warm your heart like no other movies do.
Speaking of which, stay tuned for Olaf’s Frozen Adventures out on CATCHPLAY ON DEMAND soon. Much like Disney’s other stories, this tiny little snowman may be icy cold, but his little tale will too, melt your hearts.
2. Murder on the Orient Express
Global weekend gross: USD20.1 million
Total gross: USD274.7 million
The star power of Johnny Depp and friends are on full display in this wuddunit murder mystery on the world’s most famous long-distance passenger train service. With everybody’s favourite pirate, a Shakespeare master (Kenneth Branagh), a heroine from a galaxy far, far away (Daisy Ridley), a respected dame (Judi Dench) and many more, it makes a fun sight to see actors we’re familiar with in their other characters come together in this period piece.
Beyond the star-studded cast, I’m sure those who’ve heard of this Agatha Christie’s classic and had not read the novel yet are just glad that they can find out the killer’s identity at the end of the two-hour movie without having to pore through the book.
3. Justice League
Global weekend gross: USD15.4 million
Total gross: USD613.4 million
We’re pretty sure Henry Cavill’s clean-shaven face is the reason for Justice League’s 2nd runner-up position on the charts. Background: Cavill was simultaneously filming M:I 6 - Mission Impossible while filming Justice League was contractually obligated to keep the moustache he had grown for the M:I movie. This means a team of poor CGI artists had to painstakingly remove Cavill’s moustache to keep in character with Superman’s wholesome good looks.
Those who’d read this news might watch Justice League just to marvel at Cavill’s clean-shaven jawline, and find out for themselves what the fuss is all about. And those who had seen the movie could be tickled enough to catch it again, re-watching it with different eyes and finally understand why Superman looks a tad weird but can’t quite figure out what exactly was wrong with him the first time around.
4. Daddy’s Home 2
Global weekend gross: USD11.6 million
Total gross: USD142.3 million
Out of the top five entries, Daddy’s Home 2 is the easiest to watch, following up about an unusual family where the biological dad and the step-dad get along so well that they’re practically BFFs. This time, however, things turn topsy-turvy when the dads’ own respective father join them for the holidays and stir things up. Starring a cast that includes Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Mel Gibson and John Lithgow, you can expect plenty of cheap laughs from physical comedy commonly found in Ferrell's movies. Thankfully, Wahlberg is thrown in to balance out Ferrell, injecting his usual machismo and gusto. While we’re used to seeing Lithgow in a comedy, it’s nice to welcome back Gibson, who last made us laugh in… wait, we can’t even remember.
5. Wonder
Global weekend gross: USD11.4 million
Total gross: USD129.6 million
This could not have been a better movie for the current climate where bullies seem to run the world. Wonder, about embracing your uniqueness and standing up for yourself is just the right message we need to hear right now. At only 11, Jacob Tremblay’s resume looks more illustrious than many other adult actors. After charming us in Room opposite Brie Larson’s Academy-Award winning performance, Tremblay gives an old-soul performance (despite under the thick layer of prosthetic) as Auggie Pullman, the kid who’s born different. His gut-wrenching conversation with this mom (Julia Roberts) about his face being ugly and no one likes him WILL break your heart.
