Box office: Raya and the Last Dragon stays at the top in second weekend with $5.5 million

SYFY WIRE Box Office

Box office: Raya and the Last Dragon stays at the top in second weekend with $5.5 million

By Josh Weiss

Disney's latest offering, Raya and the Last Dragon, remained at the top of the North American box office this weekend with an extra $5.5 million in domestic ticket sales, Variety confirmed Sunday. After two outings thus far, the film's Stateside currently stands at $15.8 million. Internationally, the animated fantasy feature has made $36 million for a global total of $52.6 million. Not too shabby when you consider the fact that Raya is also available to stream on Disney+ for a "Premier Access" fee of $29.99.

The theatrical industry in the U.S. and Canada is still on the slow road to recovery as the COVID-19 pandemic starts to give up its hold on the globe. But the fact that audience members are willing to see a movie on the big screen rather than stream it at home is a hopeful sign that the in-person theatrical experience isn't completely dead as some predicted. Fortunately, venues in crucial, at-home markets (mainly New York and California) are starting to open back up with limited capacity after a year of no business. It's definitely promising for studios like Disney and Paramount, which hope to release box office juggernauts like Black Widow and A Quiet Place Part II this spring/summer.

Chaos Walking, which debuted against Raya last weekend, fell slightly in its second frame with an added $2.25 million in domestic revenue. The sci-fi project's North American total now stands at $6.9 million. Ironically, it's performed better in North America when contrasted to overseas markets, which have usually fared much better during the health crisis. Chaos Walking has only made $1.3 million from 33 countries, bringing its worldwide draw to $5 million.

Following its expectation-shattering bow three weekends ago, Warner Bros.' Tom & Jerry raked in another $4 million, boosting its North American cache to $28 million. Again, it's a rather impressive feat when the film (directed by Fantastic Four vet Tim Story) is currently available to stream on HBO Max. In markets abroad, Tom & Jerry has clawed its way to $34 million for a global haul of about $62 million. At this rate, the release will soon break even on its estimated $79 million production budget.

Of course, a box office roundup wouldn't be complete without a mention of The Croods: A New Age, which remained in the Top 5 by continuing its impressive, 16-week run with an extra $520,000 domestically. DreamWorks' animated sequel currently has $54.3 million in North America and nearly $160 million worldwide.

As we reported Saturday, James Cameron's Avatar took back its box office crown as the highest-grossing film in history from Avengers: Endgame.

(DreamWorks Animation & SYFY WIRE are both owned by NBCUniversal)