LOS ANGELES — The animated family film "Coco" has topped the box office for a third time on a quiet, pre-"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" weekend in theaters.
Disney estimated Sunday that "Coco" added $18.3 million, which would bring its domestic total to $135.5 million.
The weekend's sole new wide release was the Morgan Freeman film "Just Getting Started," which launched to a meager $3.2 million from 2,161 theaters and barely made the top 10.
Most studios have chosen to avoid competing against "The Last Jedi," which is expected to dominate theaters and moviegoer attention when it opens on Friday. So most of the charts have looked quite similar for the past few weeks.
Warner Bros. and DC's "Justice League" took second place, with $9.6 million, and Lionsgate's sleeper hit "Wonder," which has passed $100 million, placed third, with $8.5 million. Warner Bros. also crossed the $2 billion benchmark domestically Saturday — the first studio to do so in 2017.
The quiet period before "Star Wars" has allowed some indie and prestige titles to thrive in limited releases and expansions, like James Franco's "The Disaster Artist." The film, about the making of one of the worst films of all time, "The Room," expanded to 840 locations in its second weekend in theaters. It managed to bring in $6.4 million, landing it in fourth place.
Greta Gerwig's coming-of-age film, "Lady Bird," also added 363 locations and placed ninth in its sixth weekend in theaters. With $3.5 million from this weekend, "Lady Bird" has netted $22.3 million.
"This is the best time to be a moviegoer if you're an indie fan," said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst for comScore. "The last few weeks have enabled films like 'The Shape of Water,' 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,' and now 'I, Tonya' to really find an audience."
He added: "It's a great time for those films ahead of the box office death star that is 'Star Wars.'"
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
- "Coco," $18.3 million ($55.3 million international).
- "Justice League," $9.6 million ($15.4 million international).
- "Wonder," $8.5 million ($11.4 million international).
- "The Disaster Artist," $6.4 million ($1 million).
- "Thor: Ragnarok," $6.3 million ($3.1 million international).
- "Daddy's Home 2," $6 million ($11.6 million international).
- "Murder on the Orient Express," $5.1 million ($20.1 million international).
- "The Star," $3.7 million.
- "Lady Bird," $3.5 million.
- "Just Getting Started," $3.2 million.
