This is a refreshing change of pace. After three weeks in the number one spot, Suicide Squad slunk into number two this weekend, with Fede Alvarez’s impressive, immersive original horror film Don’t Breathe in the number one spot with $26.1 million. With a budget under $10 million, this one should be a hit, and Sony should be proud. Hopefully, they produce more like it, or at least more from Alvarez. He’s a major talent, and he deserves to make it big.
It hasn’t been a successful summer in many respects, but between The Conjuring 2, The Shallows, Lights Out and now Don’t Breathe, horror films have certainly held their own better than most. Much like family animated films, they’ve developed a consistently profitable niche, and the horror films are benefited by their rather cheap budgets. With strong reviews and even stronger word of mouth thrown into the mix, horror films don’t often do as well in their second weekends, but there’s a good chance Don’t Breathe will have some stronger legs.
Suicide Squad, meanwhile, earned $12.1 million during its fourth weekend, which rounds its domestic total to $282.9 million. Ultimately, this one is more or less a hit for the studio, but is it as big a hit as Warner Bros. wanted? That’s the question to ask. They had a lot riding on this film, and it’s questionable if they got what they wanted from David Ayer’s anti-superhero blockbuster. Time will always and forever be the truest test, I guess. That’s something I say a lot these days, isn’t it?
How about some good news? Kubo and the Two Strings needs more love, plain and simple. It’s not merely the best animated movie of the year; it’s one of the year’s best films. During its debut weekend last weekend, it opened to a rather underwhelming $12.6 in fourth place, but it looks like it’s going to have some much-deserved legs. It moved up to third place, earning $7.9 million to its $24.9 domestic gross and adding 19 theaters to its count in the process.
It still has a little ways to go before it makes back its $60 million budget, but here’s hoping it happens. It deserves to be loved and, more importantly, it deserves to be seen, especially on the big screen. Give Laika your money. You (hopefully) won’t be disappointed. It demands to be seen on the big screen, 3D or not.
Movies that don’t deserve your money are this weekend’s other two releases: Mechanic: Resurrection and Hands of Stone. Needless to say, neither made a big impression, although they certainly had less theaters than their competition. Mechanic: Resurrection came in fifth place with $7.5 million, which is less than the $11.4 million earned during the debut of its predecessor, 2011’s The Mechanic.
Hands of Stone, meanwhile, opened in 810 theaters and earned $1.7 million in 16th place. It’s safe to say this one isn’t necessarily a knockout, but who expected it to be one? Except maybe the Weinsteins, but even they seemed underwhelmed by their new film. They hardly marketed it, and it’s not hard to see why.
Alright, I believe it’s time to wrap up the box office report for the weekend. Sausage Party continues to do well, coming in fourth place with $7.7 million added to its exceptional $80 million domestic gross. Additionally, Pete’s Dragon continues to meddle a bit, coming in $7.28 million added to its $54.7 domestic gross. But hey, it’s getting closer towards that $65 million budget at least. Also, War Dogs dropped 50 percent over its second weekend, coming in 7th place with $7.25 million.
Meanwhile, Jason Bourne came in ninth with $5.2 million, but it did exceptionally well in its China debut (despite several complaints about its 3D format). And Ben-Hur continues to have a rough go, moving down to 10th place with a meager $4.5 million earned during its weekend. That makes its domestic total $19.5 million, which makes its prospects of making back its $100 million budget even steeper. It’s safe to say that it doesn’t have a horse in this race.
Check out the full box office report, via THR and Box Office Mojo, below.
- Don’t Breathe Weekend: $26.1 million Domestic Gross: $26.1 million
- Suicide Squad Weekend: $12.1 million Domestic Gross: $282.9 million
- Kubo and the Two Strings Weekend: $7.9 million Domestic Gross: $24.9 million
- Sausage Party Weekend: $7.7 million Domestic Gross: $80 million
- Mechanic: Resurrection Weekend: $7.5 million Domestic Gross: $7.5 million
- Pete’s Dragon Weekend: $7.28 million Domestic Gross: $54.7 million
- War Dogs Weekend: $7.26 million Domestic Gross: $27.8 million
- Bad Moms Weekend: $5.8 million Domestic Gross: $95.5 million
- Jason Bourne Weekend: $5.2 million Domestic Gross: $149.4 million
- Ben-Hur Weekend: $4.5 million Domestic Gross: $19.6 million
