Although the bar was set fairly low, Detective Pikachu has managed to claim the title of best ever opening weekend for a video game film. In the US, at least.
According to figures from Box Office Mojo, the film pulled in $58m (£44.5m) during its American debut, earning around $10m more than 2001’s Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, which managed $47.7m (£36.6m). This is not adjusted for inflation, however, so perhaps the classic Lara Croft title would have fared better had it been released in 2019.
Meanwhile, the worldwide figures paint a slightly different story, with Warcraft still comfortably holding onto the title of best video game film opening weekend globally. Detective Pikachu managed a respectable $161m (£123.66) worldwide, but importantly Warcraft earned a whopping $156m (£119.7m) in China in its first five days – even if its American takings totalled a disappointing $24.4m (£18.43) during the same period (via The Guardian).
According to analyst Daniel Ahmad, the general sentiment surrounding the film in China is that “the world that has been created and special effects are great but the story and script could be better”. Tough crowd.
Detective Pikachu opening weekend in China was $41m. An ok, not great opening imo.
At a push it could reach the $100m lifetime mark in China. pic.twitter.com/Mlm7IFmc1S
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) May 12, 2019
Of course, if you’re looking for a point of comparison to dwarf all these figures, look only to Avengers: Endgame, which is still rumbling on – and managed to earn $63m (£48m) in its third weekend. In total, it’s now the second biggest film ever, earning a total $724m (£556m) domestically and $2.48bn (£1.8m) globally, placing it just behind Avatar at $2.78bn (£2.14m) (via Box Office Mojo).
Still considering whether to help bump up Detective Pikachu’s numbers? Check out Chris Tapsell’s review of the film to help you decide – although personally I think it’s worth going just to see the hideous Mr. Mime – or even worse, that Ditto. You’ll know what I mean.