'Coco' tops box office again before 'Star Wars' hits

LOS ANGELES -- The animated family film "Coco" topped the box office for a third time on a quiet, pre-"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" weekend in theaters.

Disney estimated Sunday that "Coco" added $18.3 million, which would bring its domestic total to $135.5 million.

The weekend's sole new wide release was the Morgan Freeman film "Just Getting Started," which launched to a meager $3.2 million from 2,161 theaters and barely made the top 10.

Most studios have chosen to avoid competing against "The Last Jedi," which is expected to dominate theaters and moviegoer attention when it opens Friday.

This quiet period before "Star Wars" allowed some indie and prestige titles to thrive in limited releases and expansions, such as James Franco's "The Disaster Artist." The film, about the making of one of the worst films of all time, "The Room," expanded to 840 locations in its second weekend in theaters. It brought in $6.4 million, landing it in fourth place.

Greta Gerwig's coming-of-age film "Lady Bird" added 363 locations and placed ninth in its sixth weekend in theaters. With the $3.5 million from this weekend, "Lady Bird" has netted $22.3 million.

The Guillermo del Toro-directed romantic fantasy "The Shape of Water" expanded to 41 theaters in its second weekend and earned $1.1 million.

The Tonya Harding biopic "I, Tonya" launched in four locations in New York and Los Angeles and brought in a solid $245,602.

The Winston Churchill film "The Darkest Hour" and the summer romance film "Call Me By Your Name" also thrived in more limited releases as well.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore.

1. "Coco," $18.3 million.

2. "Justice League," $9.6 million.

3. "Wonder," $8.5 million.

4. "The Disaster Artist," $6.4 million.

5. "Thor: Ragnarok," $6.3 million.

6. "Daddy's Home 2," $6 million.

7. "Murder on the Orient Express," $5.1 million.

8. "The Star," $3.7 million.

9. "Lady Bird," $3.5 million.

10. "Just Getting Started," $3.2 million.