Weekend Box Office: Spectre Continues to Dominate, Love the Coopers Leads Newcomers

By Chris Kavan - 11/15/15 at 07:17 PM CT

The one-two punch of Bond and Peanuts didn't let up in the second weekend. As predicted last week's two biggest films retained their hold on the box office. But because there weren't many fireworks from the newcomers, the overall box office took a 35% compared to last weekend, though things are certain to pick right back up with the final Hunger Games film on tap. There was more good news in store for some limited release films - but not all of them, as Angelina Jolie's By the Sea got off to a rough start.

1) SPECTRE

For the second week in a row Bond was on top. The hardy spy dropped a light (for a action movie) 49.7% in its second weekend for a $35.4 million take and a new total of $130.7 million. That is a great hold - better than Quantum of Solace and Skyfall - and nearly on part with Casino Royale. The film is pretty much guaranteed a $200 million total at this point - it might be higher but it does face still competition in the coming weeks, not just from The Hunger Games, but also The Good Dinosaur and The Night Before - all of which will eat into a portion of its audience. But as good as it has done domestically, it continues to really shine in the international market. With $48 million in China (a record for a 2D US opening), it now sits at $543.8 million worldwide - good enough to break in to the top 10 overall for 2015. I expect this one to continue an great run - and that $600 million it needs to break even is all but in the bag as I could see this approaching the $800 million ark at least - with $1 billion not out of the picture at this point.

2) THE PEANUTS MOVIE

Staying the course in its second-place slot was The Peanuts Movie. A bit disheartening for the animated film was its bigger-than-expected 45.3% drop - quite large for an animated film. It still took in $24.2 million for a new total of $82.5 million but it only has one more good weekend before Pixar will tromp on it with The Good Dinosaur. The film should have no problem topping $100 million but getting to $150 million may be out of its grasp. The film hasn't make much of an impact in the international market (just $8.1 million to date) so it's going to have to hope for a continued decent domestic run to cover its budget ($99 million) and marketing costs, though I think it will wind up in the black overall.

3) LOVE THE COOPERS

I expected The 33 to have the best chance at opening the highest out of the weekends newcomers, but it turns out the Christmas-themed family comedy Love the Coopers wound up as the best of the bunch. Opening in third with $8.4 million, the ensemble comedy earned a so-so "B-" Cinemascore, but considering it's really the only film of its kind out right now, it has a good chance of having a decent run. Depending on how audiences support this one, it's looking at a total of at least $25 million but could reach as high as $40 million. Considering its $17 million budget, it's likely to be a decent earner.

4) THE MARTIAN

The Martian may have dipped a spot, but its 26% drop is still an incredible hold for a film in its 7th weekend of release. Matt Damon and Ridley Scott both have to be ecstatic as the success of The Martian should garner some attention come awards season (though putting it in the comedy category in the Golden Globes seems like a strange fit - but who am I to judge?). Taking in another $6.7 million, The Martian now stands at $207.4 million - knocking on the door of doubling its $108 million budget and moving up to sixth place on the domestic charts (the highest it is going to get as it won't be able to top the $335 million of Minions). While not my top film of the year, The Martian is right up there with the best and I hope it continues its fantastic run.

5) THE 33