Even before the Coronavirus pandemic came along and brought the theatrical industry to its knees, Super Bowl weekend was never anything to write home about in terms of the box office. Everyone’s clearly occupied with the big game from Friday right through to Sunday, and the biggest debut ever for a movie during this particular time frame is the $31.1 million brought in by Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert back in 2008, in a fine example of counterprogramming.
However, even the current climate and extenuating circumstances haven’t stopped Denzel Washington from reaffirming his status as one of the most reliable draws in Hollywood, with The Little Things spending a second week at the top of the domestic chart. Admittedly, a haul of $2.1 million is hardly one to grab the headlines, but it’s still impressive when you consider that the crime thriller was released on HBO Max the same day it hit the big screen.
Besides The Little Things repeating, there wasn’t much excitement to be found at the box office this past weekend, with the Super Bowl unsurprisingly dominating the cultural conversation. In fact, the only new title to crack the Top 10 was the IMAX rerelease of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, and even then, the remastered version of Peter Jackson’s first foray into Middle-earth only took tenth spot after bringing in $166,000.
Clearly, we’re still a long way away from business picking up to any sort of significant degree, but The Little Things is at least enjoying a brief reign at the top of the box office despite reviews being lukewarm at best, while Denzel Washington gets to add another number one hit to his collection.