'Night School' wins a competitive weekend at the box office
- The Kevin Hart-Tiffany Haddish comedy "Night School" wins the weekend box office with $28 million.
- The Warner Bros. animated movie "Smallfoot" took in a respectable $23 million.
It was a close race for the top spot at the domestic box office this weekend, as Universal's "Night School" finished the weekend below industry projections and Warner Bros' "Smallfoot" kept a steady pace.
But when the smoke cleared, "Night School" was the winner, raking in an estimated $28 million.
The latest comedy from the director of "Girls Trip," Malcolm D. Lee, the equalizer for "Night School" was that it has Tiffany Haddish and Kevin Hart as its stars, two of the most popular actors working today.
Despite coming in under its projected $30 million opening, Universal can't frown with a $28 million start for "Night School." Most studio comedies would beg for that kind of box office coin its opening weekend.
WB's family friendly "Smallfoot" - featuring the voices of Channing Tatum, James Corden, Zendaya, LeBron James, and Danny DeVito - came out at the right time as there hasn't been an attractive kids title in theaters for a while.
That led to a $23 million opening, which is stronger than the studio's 2016 animated release, "Storks" ($21.3 million).
Holdovers "The House With a Clock in Its Walls" and "A Simple Favor" continue to make good bank. "Clock in Its Walls" had an impressive $12.5 million second weekend, just a 53% drop after winning the box office last week, and "Simple Favor" has been impressive since its September 14 opening, taking in $6 million this weekend and a domestic total of over $43 million.