After the heady days of January, the second box office weekend in February has seen the second successive weekend close to $13m.
The good news is total takings were up, but by a modest 3% to $13.08m.
Two new releases made the top five, one of them with the best weekend takings this year apart from Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle.
#1 Fifty Shades Freed $4.66m
The latest in the Fifty Shades franchise has received some shocking reviews (just 11% on Rotten Tomatoes) yet it managed to top the chart this week. The film opened on 551 screens, which is the most screens hosting a movie since weekend three of Star Wars: The Last Jedi was on 597.The Fifty Shades screen average was $8,460, which is the best since Maze Runner: The Death Cure’s January opening.
#2 The Greatest Showman $1.16m
Seven weeks on the chart and sitting at #1 for just one week – in its sixth week! The Hugh Jackman triumph added seven screens for an average of $4,037 on 288 screens. Earnings to-date are just short of $28m.
#3 I, Tonya $1.01m
Takings narrowly above $1m for its third weekend with screens up 14 to 225 with a screen average of $4,233. Total earn ticked over $6m on the weekend.
#4 Insidious: The Last Key $820,000
Another horror movie makes the chart with the latest project from the pen of the prolific Aussie horror specialist Leigh Whannell. Starring alongside Whannell in the film are his Aussie acting colleague Angus Sampson and US scream queen Lin Shaye. The film opened on just 140 screens with a strong screen average of $5,863.
#5 Den Of Thieves $680,642
The second weekend of the Gerard Butler heist movie did under $700,000, but that was enough to make the top five. It wouldn’t have got close any other weekend this year. The film has grossed $2.34m so far.
Outside the top five:
#6 Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle slips out of the top five on its seventh weekend. The film has taken $47.27m, which puts it just $2m away from making the all-time top 10 chart for Australia – The Return Of The King is the most vulnerable at #10 on $49.37m.
#8 Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri has had a slowly, slowly approach. It has now taken close to $9m without ever making the top five. Could Oscar victory push this higher past $10m?