Here is a look at the biggest box-office hits and flops of 2018:
HIT: “Black Panther”: On a budget of $210 million, Ryan Coogler’s superhero film – the first to feature a predominantly black cast – grossed more than $700 million domestically (third-highest all-time, not accounting for inflation) and $1.3 billion worldwide. It became the first movie to top the weekend box office five times in a row since “Avatar.”
MISS: “Solo: A Star Wars Story”: Not everything Disney did in 2018 was perfect. “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” and “A Wrinkle in Time” also fizzled. But few disappointments were more acutely felt than the extensively retooled Han Solo spinoff directed by Ron Howard after original directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were jettisoned. On a production budget of at least $250 million, the heavily promoted spinoff grossed $392.9 million worldwide. It did worse than every previous “Star Wars” film, and the negative reaction from fans and critics forced Disney to reconsider its future plans for the franchise.
HIT: “A Quiet Place”: With just a $17 million budget, John Krasinski’s horror thriller grossed $340.7 million worldwide. The Paramount Pictures release was the biggest original hit of a year typically dominated by sequels, superheroes and reboots. Of course, “A Quiet Place” will get its own sequel, slated for release in 2020.
MISS: “Mortal Engines”: One of the year’s worst bombs arrived just as 2018 was coming to a close. The Peter Jackson-produced $100 million fantasy, from Universal, opened with a mere $7.5 million last weekend. Young Adult fantasies aren’t selling like they used to, especially when they come with big budgets and a 27 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.