Box Office: ‘Girl on the Train’ Runs Away With #1 Spot

Drew Dietsch
Movies
Movies

Sorry for the late box office report, dear readers. New York Comic Con threw things into a bit of a tizzy – go read and watch our coverage! – but we’re back to talk about the success of The Girl on the Train. The adaptation nabbed the top spot though it may not have a lot of staying power. Reviews have been mixed and the audience reaction seems to be equally divided. Still, this is a solid win for star Emily Blunt. We can always use more Emily Blunt in our movies.

Meanwhile, the other newcomers made little noise; The Brith of a Nation and Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life both did around equal business but probably won’t be around for very long. If you have any interest in either of these movies, you should probably see them now. Unless you are patient and can wait for home video.

A few tidbits from the box office numbers:

  • Finding Dory officially crossed $1 billion worldwide this weekend. Looks like that fish had some legs! I’m sorry.
  • Suicide Squad surpassed Deadpool‘s international gross, though the Merc With A Mouth still beats the DC film domestically. Still, it looks like the old chestnut of “superhero fatigue” is still just a cynical pipe dream.

The Numbers Game

Each week, I will guess how much wide-release films will be making on their opening weekend. My estimates come from my heart and my gut. You’d think I’d use my brain but that makes far too much sense. Fandom editor Nick Nunziata will also be providing his guesses because two stabs in the dark are better than one.

Last Week:

The Girl on the Train
My Guess: $23,000,000
Nick’s Guess: $28,000,000
Actual: $24,536,265
Result: This performed within expected parameters. Not phenomenal but still a good haul. And another close enough win for me!

Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life
My Guess: $7,000,000
Nick’s Guess: $8,000,000
Actual: $6,878,437
Result: Nick and I did pretty well on this one, but the win is still mine!

The Birth of a Nation
My Guess: $9,000,000
Nick’s Guess: $11,000,000
Actual: $7,004,254
Result: This was a little lower than we had anticipated. We can’t be perfect every week!

This week:

The Accountant

the accountant ben affleck batman bruce wayne feature hero

Full disclosure: Nick and I are insanely jazzed for this movie. Are moviegoing audiences as pumped as we are? Affleck is an undeniable star and the marketing for the film has been top notch. The R rating might have hurt this film just a few years ago, but R-rated action is back on the map thanks to success stories like John Wick and Deadpool. If this is good, it might be one of the sleeper hits of 2016.

My guess: $36,000,000
Nick’s guess: $25,000,000

Kevin Hart: What Now?

kevin hart what now box office

Kevin Hart is a sensation. Are stand-up specials though? This has heavily sold itself on the cinematic segments and Hart is arguably bigger than ever. This will easily do more than his last special but probably not by a huge margin. You’ll all be too busy seeing The Accountant, right?

My guess: $12,000,000
Nick’s guess: $18,000,000

Max Steel

max steel trailer film feature hero

Unfortunately, Max Steel has little chance at surviving at the box office. It’s getting dumped on 2,000 screens and next to nothing has been spent on marketing. Plus, the production looks very low budget compared to most other superhero films. This is going to sound mean, but this is probably going to be one of the more notable flops of the year.

My guess: $4,000,000
Nick’s guess: $4,000,001

See you next week, box office buddies!

Source: Box Office Mojo

Drew Dietsch
Drew Dietsch has been professionally writing about entertainment for over a decade. His bylines include FANDOM - where he was a founding contributor and Entertainment Editor - Bloody Disgusting, SYFY WIRE, and more. He created and hosts GenreVision, a weekly film discussion show at genrevision.com.