Friday Box Office Analysis
By Tim Briody
September 20, 2014
BoxOfficeProphets.com
The young adult novel adaptation started out with a solid $11.3 million on Friday. After the big three of Harry Potter, Twilight and The Hunger games, mid-level YA franchises have been wildly hit or miss when they leap to theaters; for every Divergent, you get a The Mortal Instruments. The Maze Runner falls in the positive side with this total thanks to decent reviews and the right hook. The Maze Runner, which only cost $35 million to make and which already has a sequel film penciled in (the franchise is three books plus a prequel), looks to win the weekend easily with a total of $30 million.
A Walk Among the Tombstones
The latest entry in the [bp:763_]Liam Neeson[/bp]: Badass oeuvre opens with $4.7 million. This is a big step back from February’s Non-Stop, which started with $10 million. Neeson does have Taken 3 coming next year so I think he’ll be okay. A Walk Among the Tombstones, like The Maze Runner, came in with positive reviews and that will likely benefit the Tombstones more as it’s going after older audiences and not the young adult crowd. Look for a weekend of $14.5 million.
This Is Where I Leave You
The ensemble comedy-drama managed $3.9 million on Friday which is a disappointment but not an abject disaster. With somewhat below average reviews, if it had any ideas about being an awards contender, well, this is where we leave them. Look for a weekend of $11.3 million.
Tusk
Kevin Smith's latest film, a horror flick where a guy is apparently turned into a walrus, fell outside the top 10 yesterday. According to the Hollywood Reporter, it should have a weekend tally around $1 million. Reviews are pretty poor and after Red State and now this, it's probably safe to say that audiences prefer Smith doing comedy. No one could ever accuse him of sticking with something just because it's expected, though.
No Good Deed
Last weekend’s surprise breakout drops 66.5% from last Friday to $3 million. It’s going to have tripled up on its production budget after the weekend and is a good thing for those who believe that Idris Elba should be a bigger star. Look for a second weekend of $8.5 million.