Copyright © 2017 | DOUBT-THEMOVIE.

Get tickets

Reading a Weekend Box Office Chart

The list of titles and dollar figures on this page is a snapshot of a single weekend at the North American box office from autumn 2017, when Happy Death Day opened at the top ahead of Blade Runner 2049, The Foreigner, It and The Mountain Between Us. Charts like this are among the most quoted numbers in film coverage, but they are easy to misread without a little context.

What the numbers measure

Weekend grosses are typically Friday-to-Sunday ticket sales in the United States and Canada, reported by studios and tracking services. Sunday figures are often estimates that get revised on Monday, so early headlines and final tallies can differ slightly. The gross is what audiences paid at the window, not what the studio keeps. Theaters retain a share, and that split varies by film and by how long it has been playing.

Why a small film can beat a big one

That weekend is a good example of how budget and ranking tell different stories. A modestly budgeted horror-comedy topping the chart over a large-scale science fiction sequel says more about cost, audience expectations and release timing than about quality. Horror has long been a reliable genre for studios because it can turn a profit on a relatively small investment, while expensive spectacle needs strong worldwide results to break even. Meanwhile, a film like It appearing several weeks into its run shows how holdovers keep earning long after opening.

Getting more out of the charts

  • Compare a film's second weekend to its first; the percentage drop hints at word of mouth.
  • Look at the number of screens, since per-theater averages reveal how limited releases are really doing.
  • Remember that international markets and later home release often matter as much as the domestic opening.

For more on how releases are positioned before they reach theaters, browse our upcoming releases or look back through past coverage in the archive.