Those hardcore DC fans who want Suicide Squad to succeed, I got some good news and some bad news. The good news? The Warner Bros. DC adaptation made its way into the number one spot again, earning $43.7 million during its second weekend. The bad news? That’s a 67.3% drop, and it only continues to plummet with each passing day. Bad reviews, tepid word-of-mouth and general ill-grievances are hurting the newest anti-hero film, so we’ll see how David Ayer’s latest holds it own in the weeks to come. Consider it both a win and a bit of a loss. I’m sure you’ve formed your own opinions on the matter, though.
An unquestionable success this weekend, however, was Sausage Party, the adult CG animated film that, with a budget projected around $19 million (?!), earned $33.6 million in second place — which means it’s already earning a healthy profit. The Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg-produced Sony feature has the best opening for an R-rated comedy so far this year, and strong reviews, good marketing, a likable cast and the fact that it’s fairly different than anything audiences have seen before (or anything in theaters right now, really) are really helping its prospects.
No matter what, this one is basically a win. A pretty well deserved one too. In a summer driven by pointless sequels, reboots, remakes and anything in-between, it’s nice to see an original film become of the season’s better success stories. Yay to originality!
Coming in at third is another new release, Disney’s Pete’s Dragon, which earned a respectable $21.5 million. The remake of the 1977 film was met with warm reviews and good word-of-mouth, but anticipation was ultimately limited. The decent box office numbers suggest Disney still knows how to promote a good movie, but it’s a shame this one isn’t getting more love from audiences. With its $65 million budget, it has a little ways to go, but it should break even, at the very least. This one was never predicted to shake new ground, so it’s not a loss by any means. But I’m sure Disney would like something a little more profitable. We’ll see how the positive reception to the film will help David Lowery’s latest in the next few weeks.
Meanwhile, speaking of opening modestly, the Meryl Streep-led British biopic Florence Foster Jenkins came in eighth place with $6.6 million earned in its American debut. That’s roughly on par with Ricki and the Flash, Streep’s musical August release from last year. The Stephen Frears film was met with some of the weekend’s most positive reviews, but it had trouble earning an audience under 25. Even though I liked the movie fine enough, as a 23-year-old, I have no problem believing this one had trouble gathering people my age. Especially with Sausage Party now in theaters. But it has its audience, and they’re meeting it well. It should do okay business here in the States.
Now, back to the already-released titles. Jason Bourne came in fourth place over its third weekend with $126.8 million added to its domestic total. With a budget of $120 million, it’s now approaching the black. Universal should be pleased. Additionally, Bad Moms continues to impress in fifth place with $11.4 million added to its $71.4 million domestic gross. On the other side of the coin, Star Trek Beyond is still a little wobbly in seventh place with $6.8 million earned during its fourth weekend, bringing its domestic gross still below its $185 million budget with $139.7 million. And Nine Lives continues to tank in ninth place, appropriately enough, during its second weekend with a meager $3.5 million added to its litter box.
Now to round out the weekend with more good news and bad news. We’ll start with the bad first. Ghostbusters is now officially out of the top 10 this weekend, coming in at 12th place with $2.3 million during its fifth weekend. With pundits now officially calling it a box office flop this week, things are rather dour for Ghostbusters (2016).
So what’s the good news? Well, David Mackenzie’s acclaimed Hell or High Water is doing pretty well during its limited release. It earned an exceptional $592,000 in its 31 locations. That makes its location average a very impressive $18,500. I’m seeing it tomorrow, and I’ve heard nothing but good things. While it looks a little too much like No Country For Old Men, it’s usually a good thing when something is compared to the Coens’ recent Western masterpiece. I’m excited to see what’s driving all the hoopla.
Check out the box office numbers, courtesy of THR and Box Office Mojo, below.
- Suicide Squad Weekend: $43.7 million Domestic Gross: $222.9 million
- Sausage Party Weekend: $33.6 million Domestic Gross: $33.6 million
- Pete’s Dragon Weekend: $21.5 million Domestic Gross: $21.5 million
- Jason Bourne Weekend: $13.6 million Domestic Gross: $126.8 million
- Bad Moms Weekend: $11.4 million Domestic Gross: $71.5 million
- The Secret Life of Pets Weekend: $8.8 million Domestic Gross: $335.9 million
- Star Trek Beyond Weekend: $6.8 million Domestic Gross: $139.7 million
- Florence Foster Jenkins Weekend: $6.6 million Domestic Gross: $6.6 million
- Nine Lives Weekend: $3.5 million Domestic Gross: $13.6 million
- Lights Out Weekend: $3.2 million Domestic Gross: $61.1 million
