Weekend Wrap-Up
Lucy Spanks Hercules
By John Hamann
July 27, 2014
Reeling this weekend is the batch of openers from last weekend, led by The Purge: Anarchy. At least this one, being a horror title, was expected to slide heavily this weekend, and oh my it did. After opening to $29.8 million last weekend, The Purge: Anarchy fell a massive 67% in its second frame, dropping down to $9.9 million. This result is much like the original, which opened to $34 million and dropped 76% in weekend two to $8.3 million. So, in the sequel’s case, the debut is smaller and the second weekend is bigger, once again blowing former theories on what BOP calls “sequelitis” (normally sequels open bigger and drop harder than the original). Still, it’s important to remember that this is a Universal release, so it has a small budget ($9 million) and will have a fantastic result in comparison. The Purge: Anarchy has now earned $51.3 million against that $9 million. The original earned $64.5 million stateside and another $25 million overseas against a $3 million budget.
Fifth is Planes: Fire and Rescue, another brand-damaging release from Disney. I love it when people catch on to stupid (especially kids), and they seem to be doing so with this franchise. Planes: Fire and Rescue earned only $9.3 million this weekend, which is a drop of 47% compared to its $17.5 million debut last weekend. The first Planes film opened to $22.2 million and fell 40% to $13.4 million in its second weekend. The total for the Disney toon has now reached $35.1 million against a $50 million budget, so it will certainly need some help overseas for the movie to find a profit, but the merchandise sales will likely bury anything the film makes. Don’t believe me? Go to Walmart.
Sixth is Sex Tape, with a drop so bad you might think it was called The Purge: Sex Tape. Probably the surprise semi-flop of the summer, Sex Tape earned only $6 million this weekend, giving it a second weekend decline of 59%. This is a movie starring Cameron Diaz with Sex in the title and it is going to struggle to get to $35 million – go figure. This debacle cost Sony $40 million to make and it has a gross so far of only $26.9 million.
Seventh is Transformers: Age of Extinction, which can’t leave the top ten fast enough. After picking up $9.8 million last weekend, the Michael Bay love letter to China earned $4.6 million this weekend, giving it a drop of 53%. The $210 million production has now earned $236.3 million stateside, and had $285.7 million from China alone prior to start of the weekend. Its worldwide total is now $966 million.
The new release with that "gotta run out and see it" title of And So It Goes (zzzzzzz) opens in eighth. The Michael Douglas/Diane Keaton comedy earned only $4.6 million this weekend from 1,762 venues. This one is from Clarius Entertainment, whose $70 million Legends of Oz earned less than $10 million earlier this summer.
Ninth is Tammy, Melissa McCarthy’s first quasi-miss at the box office. Tammy earned $3.4 million and fell 54%. Still, with a $20 million budget and a gross so far of $78.1 million, this comedy is looking pretty darned good for Warner Bros.
Our 10th place film is A Most Wanted Man, one of Philip Seymour Hoffman's final performances. The spy movie, based on a novel by John le Carré, earned $2.7 million from just 371 venues. The per location average was $7,526. The film has stellar reviews at Rotten Tomatoes, with a current fresh percentage of 91%. Roadside Attractions will be very pleased with this result, and it should hold one well in the coming weeks.
Overall, the box office maintains its middling run, but doesn’t get spanked as hard by last year as it has in recent weekends. The top 12 this weekend pulled in $143.2 million, whereas last year the top 12 pulled in $158 million, led by The Wolverine. Next weekend is all about the G; Get on Up, the biopic about James Brown opens, along with Guardians of the Galaxy, which is set for 3,800 venues. How big will it be? Check back next weekend to find out!
| 1 |
Lucy |
|
$44,025,375 |
New |
$44,025,375 |
| 2 |
Hercules |
|
$29,000,000 |
New |
$29,000,000 |
| 3 |
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes |
Fox |
$16,400,000 |
- 55% |
$172,088,600 |
| 4 |
The Purge: Anarchy |
Universal |
$9,896,040 |
- 67% |
$51,272,185 |
| 5 |
Planes: Fire & Rescue |
Disney |
$9,303,000 |
- 47% |
$35,121,000 |
| 6 |
Sex Tape |
Sony |
$5,975,000 |
- 59% |
$26,877,000 |
| 7 |
Transformers: Age of Extinction |
PARAMOUNT |
$4,600,000 |
- 53% |
$236,352,000 |
| 8 |
And So It Goes |
Clarius Entertainment |
$4,551,687 |
New |
$4,551,687 |
| 9 |
Tammy |
WARNER BROS. |
$3,400,000 |
- 54% |
$78,147,000 |
| 10 |
A Most Wanted Man |
Roadside Attractions |
$2,717,425 |
New |
$2,717,425 |
| 11 |
22 Jump Street |
Sony |
$2,500,000 |
- 47% |
$185,654,000 |
| 12 |
How To Train Your Dragon 2 |
Fox |
$2,200,000 |
- 44% |
$165,628,900 |
| |
Also Opening/Notables |
| |
The Fluffy Movie |
Open Road Films |
$1,314,000 |
New |
$1,314,000 |
| |
Magic In the Moonlight |
Sony Classics |
$425,730 |
New |
$425,730 |
| |
A Master Builder |
Abramorama |
$8,048 |
New |
$13,992 |
| |
The Kill Team |
Oscilloscope |
$3,000 |
New |
$3,000 |
| |
Persecuted |
Millennium |
$181,183 |
- 79% |
$1,450,294 |
| |
Wish I Was Here |
Focus Features |
$1,110,000 |
+ 129% |
$1,835,240 |
| |
I Origins |
FOX SEARCHLIGHT |
$73,000 |
+ 164% |
$114,800 |
| |
There's No Place Like Utopia |
Rocky Mountain |
$3,150 |
- 90% |
$39,302 |
| |
A Five Star Life |
Music Box Films |
$9,200 |
- 42% |
$35,975 |
| |
Boyhood |
IFC Films |
$1,700,000 |
+ 45% |
$4,100,000 |
| |
Land Ho! |
Sony Classics |
$32,841 |
- 6% |
$134,650 |
| |
Earth To Echo |
Relativity |
$1,300,000 |
- 60% |
$35,444,458 |
| |
Begin Again |
Weinstein Co. |
$1,572,000 |
- 40% |
$12,307,907 |
| |
America |
Lionsgate |
$875,000 |
- 48% |
$13,213,567 |
| |
Snowpiercer |
Radius/TWC |
$203,734 |
- 55% |
$3,905,155 |
| |
Maleficent |
Disney |
$1,780,000 |
- 45% |
$232,119,000 |
|
Box office data supplied by Exhibitor Relations
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