ADORABLE ABOMINABLE. Abominable, written and directed by Jill Culton, is an animated film about a Shanghai teenager who discovers a lost yeti on the roof of her apartment building. She and her friends traverse China to return the creature, whom they name "Everest," home to the Himalayas. (Image courtesy of DreamWorks Animation LLC)

From The Asian Reporter, V29, #19 (October 7, 2019), pages 1 & 15.

By Jake Coyle

The Associated Press

NEW YORK — The DreamWorks animated adventure Abominable topped the box office with $20.9 million in ticket sales over its first weekend, according to studio estimates, while the Renee Zellweger-led Judy Garland tale Judy got off to a strong start.

Abominable, which was the sole new wide release, is a co-production between Universal’s DreamWorks and Shanghai-based Pearl Studios. So the $75-million-film’s performance in China will be vital to its worldwide success.

The film, written and directed by Jill Culton, is about a Shanghai teenager (Chloe Bennet) who discovers a lost yeti on the roof of her apartment building. She and a pair of friends traverse China to return the creature, whom they name "Everest," home to the Himalayas. Abominable garnered positive reviews (80% on Rotten Tomatoes) and a warm reception from audiences (an A CinemaScore) eager for a family-friendly option.

Abominable marks the seventh No. 1 film this year for Universal, or eight if you count Downton Abbey, released by the studio’s specialty label, Focus Features. Downton, the previous week’s top film, slid to second with $14.5 million. The big-screen encore for the British series has already grossed more than $107.1 million worldwide.

That gives Universal the most No. 1 movies of any studio this year, passing Disney. Though Disney still commands an overwhelming market share of about 34%, Universal has had a strong year with a varied slate (Us, Hobbs & Shaw, Yesterday). The studio accounts for all three of the year’s No. 1-debuting original releases: Abominable, Us, and Good Boys.

"It’s not going to be all superheroes all the time. That’s not necessarily going to be everyone’s cup of tea," said Jim Orr, distribution chief for Universal. "When we have films like Abominable, Yesterday, Good Boys, Us, we’re bringing a lot of different people into the theaters and that’s good for everyone. That’s good for the entire industry."

It’s been a good run for original films lately at the box office. The stripper drama Hustlers, from STX Entertainment, held strong with $11.5 million in its third week, dropping just 32%. It’s now made more than $80.6 million altogether. Hustlers potentially may have received a boost by having its star — Jennifer Lopez — announced as next year’s Super Bowl halftime act, along with Shakira.