Crazed animals & planet-killing comets: 'Primate' and 'Greenland 2' arrive in theaters | Weekend of January 9, 2026
2026 is still young, and the box office is off to a great start, up 12% from this time last year and up 23% from 2024.
Our top three films stayed largely the same as in last weekend’s report, with Avatar: Fire and Ash taking the top spot once again, with 19% of admissions and 23% of box office revenue.
Meanwhile, The Housemaid rose to number two in admissions and Zootopia 2 dropped to number three.
Monkey business at the box office: Primate swings in
Primate, which imagines a beloved family chimpanzee turning on its owners, surprised by taking the second spot from the top in revenue, but slipped to fourth in admissions.
As The New York Times put it, “It’s a B-movie with a budget, but surrendering yourself to its cheap thrills with the right crowd can make wincing its own kind of fun.”
In a month that typically sees fewer releases as studios avoid opening new titles that can get lost in the prestige-film conversation, Primate stands out as the kind of film that can benefit from word-of-mouth buzz and late-night audiences looking for something wild and escapist.
Also new this weekend: Greenland 2: Migration, with Gerard Butler returning to this tale of a planet decimated by a comet (Greenland is where the protagonists head to in search of underground safety bunkers). The original Greenland was released in 2020 with the intent of a theatrical run, but the pandemic pushed it largely to Video On Demand in the U.S., followed by a streaming debut on HBO Max.
That disjointed launch likely limited Greenland's cultural footprint, which appears to be affecting the sequel’s ability to break out.
Reviews have noted that Migration assumes familiarity with the first film’s action, creating an additional barrier for casual moviegoers who may have missed the original during its fragmented release. And perhaps the recent news cycle has accidentally confused moviegoers into thinking they’d be getting a geopolitical documentary rather than a post-apocalyptic thriller.
Will 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple break through?
Brand new this weekend is 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple; the second “28 Years Later” movie and fourth for the zombie-coded franchise as a whole.
In an interview with Cillian Murphy (who has a minor turn at the climax of this installment), The Observer notes “28 Days Later was a cultural phenomenon when it was released in 2002 and has only become more so in the time since.” When the pandemic hit in 2020, the film “was a collective reference point that helped people make sense of an upside-down moment.”
Hamnet opens wide this weekend on the heels of major awards momentum. It took home the Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture – Drama and Best Actress for Jessie Buckley. With strong critical support and prestige positioning, Hamnet is well-placed to capitalize on adult audiences looking for awards-caliber storytelling during this stretch of the calendar.
Date Night Delights: Valentine's Weekend Serves Up Fresh Film Offerings
Taking a deeper look into February, there are movies for almost everyone on the horizon.
- Emerald Fennell’s highly anticipated adaptation of Emily Brontë’s classic Wuthering Heights, starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, releases February 13. The film is being positioned as a major contender for the 2027 awards season, as Elordi comes off a Critic’s Choice Award for another classic revival: best supporting actor for his performance in Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein.
- Star-studded thriller, Crime 101, featuring Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Halle Berry, and Barry Keoghan has big names and a slick story (the crime tale, from the director of 2018’s American Animals, is releasing February 13).
- Goat is the clear choice for families taking advantage of the long holiday weekend, a whimsical animated sports comedy with a star voice cast that includes Stephen Curry, Gabrielle Union, and Jelly Roll. It’s an inspirational tale for all the short kings out there: A goat named Will gets a once-in-a-lifetime shot to play roarball with the pros and prove “smalls can ball.”
How The People Platform's audience measurements can help drive insights
- How many tickets will be sold this coming weekend? Find out on our next Cinema Ranker and follow us on LinkedIn to stay up to date with the cinema industry.
- To learn more about The People Platform's Audience Measurement, click here.
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