Kevin Hart's new movie 'The Upside' exceeded expectations and dethroned 'Aquaman' from top of the box office

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Kevin Hart's new movie 'The Upside' exceeded expectations and dethroned 'Aquaman' from top of the box office

the upside STX

STXfilms

"The Upside."

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  • The Kevin Hart-Bryan Cranston dramedy "The Upside" won the domestic weekend box office, taking in an estimated $19.6 million.
  • That knocks "Aquaman" from the top spot after being there for three-straight weekends.
  • "The Upside" had an impressive win, exceeding box office projections that had the movie opening around $10 million-$15 million.
  • The movie was originally to be released by The Weinstein Company before the sexual misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein crippled the company. Lantern Entertainment took over the title when the company bought remaining Weinstein Company assets in a bankruptcy auction in July 2018.
  • STXfilms was brought on to release the movie, it marks the first box office win for the company since it launched in 2014.
  • "Aquaman" has now earned over $1 billion at the global box office, marking the first DC Extended Universe title to hit that milestone.

"Aquaman" has finally been taken down from the number one spot at the domestic box office after being perched there for three straight weeks, and the movie that did it was the unlikely movie to pull it off.

STXfilms' dramedy "The Upside" - starring Bryan Cranston as a paralyzed billionaire who hires a recently paroled convict, played by Kevin Hart - won the weekend box office with an estimated $19.6 million.

It's not only a remarkable feat that a $37.5 million-budgeted character study took down "Aquaman," the biggest movie in the world since the holidays. "The Upside" faced tough odds of even making it to screens.

At one time "The Upside" was part of the upcoming slate for The Weinstein Company, the now defunct production and distribution company of Harvey and Bob Weinstein. Following the numerous sexual misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein that forced him out of Hollywood and left The Weinstein Company and its movies in question, Lantern Entertainment purchased the remaining assets of the company in a bankruptcy auction in July 2018.

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Lantern brought on STX to release "The Upside," which then worked with its director Neil Burger to recut the movie from an R-rated title to a more audience-friendly PG-13 version before its release.

Despite sitting on the shelf since being shot in the beginning of 2017, Kevin Hart's Oscar host controversy that surrounded his promotion of the movie, and the movie only having a 40% Rotten Tomatoes score, "The Upside" exceeded industry projections.

Projected to only open around $10 million-$15 million, the movie's $19.6 million take showed that audiences were ready for a change after weeks of seeing the DC Comics superhero, and it's evident Hart didn't lose his huge fanbase despite backlash from his past anti-gay jokes.

Read more: The 43 biggest movies coming out in 2019, which could propel the box office to another record-breaking year

It's a huge win for STX, as this marks the first box office win for the company since it launched in 2014.

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But don't feel bad for "Aquaman." The latest DC Comics title from Warner Bros. succeeded beyond any DC Extended Universe release to date, hitting the $1 billion milestone at the global box office. The movie hit the figure on Sunday following a $17.2 million take over the weekend putting its domestic total at $287.8 million.

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