Weekend Wrap-Up
Storks, Seven - Not So Magnificent
By John Hamann
September 25, 2016
Because last weekend's openers were so tragic, there is a chasm between third and fourth. Finishing fourth is Bridget Jones's Baby, which at least moves ahead of Blair Witch this weekend. Bridget held well this weekend, but after last weekend's $8.6 million debut, this one was dead - at least domestically- at liftoff. In its second weekend, Bridget Jones's Baby earned $4.5 million, off 47% compared to the open. Bridget has a domestic total to date of $16.5 million, against a budget of $35 million. Universal could make that much in the UK alone, after a $10 million debut there last weekend. The overseas gross already sits at $67 million, so with that number plus an expected $35 million domestic gross, Universal may squeak out a winner.
Fifth is Snowden, Oliver Stone's plea to pardon this muckraker. Snowden earned $4.1 million in its second frame and dropped 48%. Snowden cost $40 million to make, and will be lucky to earn $25 million domestically, as it has a gross to date of $15.1 million. It is going to have a heavy reliance on overseas grosses, where Snowden will be less known than in America.
Sixth is the Blair Witch, which looks like a massive failure, but is actually a winner, because it cost only $5 million to make. In its second weekend, after opening to $9.6 million, Blair Witch could only manage $4 million in sales, falling a nasty 59% from its debut. But the domestic gross rises to $16.1 million - puny of course - but it puts it on course to be potentially profitable (potentially as the marketing costs are not known). Overseas venues add another $5 million, so it's not like Lionsgate will take a Gods of Egypt type loss on this one. It certainly didn't blow the cover off the baseball, but it didn't hurt either.
That puts the very old or the very bad in the lower spots in the top 10. Seventh is Don't Breathe, the small, $9.9 million horror-thriller that's been in the top ten for five weekends. This weekend it earned $3.8 million, off 33% from last weekend's $5.6 million take. The total for this one has reached $81.1 million, and it has picked up an additional $30 million plus overseas as well.
Suicide Squad is eighth, and is in its eighth weekend in the top ten. Suicide earned another $3.1 million and fell 34%. The domestic gross has now reached $318.1 million, with the overseas total at $413 million.
When the Bough Breaks is ninth. This Screen Gems release has done the opposite of its other release, Don't Breathe, as this one failed to open and then fell 61% in its second weekend. This weekend is the same - Bough broke again, earning only $2.5 million and dropping 54%. This one cost $10 million to make and has a gross so far of $26.6 million, so Screen Gems shouldn't hurt from this one.
Tenth is Kubo and the Two Strings, the other animated film on the chart. Now in its sixth frame, Kubo earned $1.1 million and declined 57%. The overall domestic total is $46 million, and the film has also earned a little over $12 million from overseas venues.
Overall, the box office was well back of last year, when Hotel Transylvania 2 led the top 12 to $127.8 million. The top 12 this year pulled in $95.9 million - at least close to the totals of previous years. Next weekend could be big - Deepwater Horizon opens, as does Tim Burton's Ms. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, along with Masterminds from Relativity.
Top Ten for Weekend of September 23-25, 2016
|
Rank |
Film |
Exhibitor |
Estimated Gross (millions) |
Weekly Change |
Running Total (millions) |
1
|
The Magnificent Seven
|
Sony
|
35.0
|
New
|
35.0
|
2
|
Storks
|
Warner Bros.
|
21.8
|
New
|
21.8
|
3
|
Sully
|
Warner Bros.
|
13.8
|
-36%
|
92.4
|
4
|
Bridget Jones's Baby
|
Universal
|
4.5
|
-47%
|
16.5
|
5
|
Snowden
|
Open Road Films
|
4.1
|
-48%
|
15.1
|
6
|
Blair Witch
|
Lionsgate
|
4.0
|
-59%
|
16.1
|
7
|
Don't Breathe
|
Screen Gems
|
3.8
|
-33%
|
81.1
|
8
|
Suicide Squad
|
Warner Bros.
|
3.1
|
-34%
|
318.1
|
9
|
When the Bough Breaks
|
Screen Gems
|
2.5
|
-54%
|
26.6
|
10
|
Kubo and the Two Strings
|
Focus Features
|
1.1
|
-57%
|
46.0
|
11
|
Hell or High Water
|
Lionsgate
|
1.1
|
-47%
|
24.8
|
12
|
Bad Moms
|
STX
|
1.0
|
-43%
|
111.7
|
Continued:
1
2
3
|
|
|
|