Suicide Squad was destined to reign supreme at the box office for its second weekend, but no one could have known that an R-rated cartoon about talking food would prove to be such a strong challenger. Sausage Party easily led the pack of newcomers and only $10 million separated it from equaling Suicide Squad‘s take. Between Sausage Party and Preacher, 2016 has been very kind to Seth Rogen.
Sadly, the loser of the week was Pete’s Dragon. Even though it’s getting tons of good reviews (check out Nick’s take), the marketing couldn’t quite sell this one. The original film didn’t have nearly the recognition it needed to be a breakout, but it’s possibly this will become a cult favorite over time.
Rounding out the new releases was Florence Foster Jenkins, an Oscar bait true story flick that came in ahead of industry predictions. The reviews are good and the response from the film’s key demographic has been positive. Expect to hear more about this one in a few months when Oscar season really kicks off.
A few tidbits from the box office numbers:
- Seeing as how everyone is having sadistic fun tearing Suicide Squad to pieces, it should be noted that its 10-day total is $46 million more than Guardians of the Galaxy at the same point during its run. Also, it’s only $38 million less than Batman v Superman‘s 10-day cume. This movie is doing just fine.
- Sausage Party now holds the record for the best debut for an animated film in August. Lovers of raunchy cinema had better be supporting this one.
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:
Pete’s Dragon
My Guess: $37,000,000
Nick’s Guess: $45,000,000
Actual: $21,501,000
Result: Yeesh. Looks like we both were a little too confident about this one. Let’s hope audiences discover this one on home video.
Sausage Party
My Guess: $22,000,000
Nick’s Guess: $17,000,004
Actual: $33,600,000
Result: And we undershot this one! This is a great win for adult animation. Happy to miss the mark on this one.
Florence Foster Jenkins
My Guess: $13,000,000
Nick’s Guess: $5,000,000
Actual: $6,580,000
Result: Guess this makes Nick the winner of the week. He owes Meryl Streep an Oscar vote.
This week:
Kubo and the Two Strings
Laika Studios hasn’t made a bad movie yet. Kubo and the Two Strings doesn’t look like it’s going to break that streak. In fact, many early reviews are calling it the company’s best film. The gorgeous animation and thrilling adventure story could lure in a larger audience than usual. Some real momentum is building behind this fantasy epic.
My guess: $45,550,000
Nick’s guess: $25,000,000
War Dogs
Todd Phillips takes his Hangover sensibilities and applies them to a crazy true story about two gun runners. The ads have tried to sell this as some kind of Wolf of Wall Street-esque tale – hence Jonah Hill’s focus in the marketing – but it’s stumbled in deciding if it’s really a comedy or not. Audiences like to know what they are getting and War Dogs has been a little too unsure of its identity. That could hurt its chances to break out.
My guess: $21,000,000
Nick’s guess: $14,000,000
Ben-Hur
Remaking a classic tale is often a roll of the dice. Ben-Hur has had a weak presence when it comes to marketing, and the producers are trying to rope in as many opening weekend viewers as it can by encouraging church groups to organize trips to the theater. The action looks like a lame retread of Gladiator at this point, and nothing has really sold people on the characters or their plight. Still, The Legend of Tarzan proved that you can’t predict how tired tales will be received by audiences. This one could be a shocking surprise.
My guess: $15,666,666
Nick’s guess: $15,666,665.50
See you next week, box office buddies!
Source: Box Office Mojo
