For the second weekend running, the top new release opened well above expectations to revitalise a flagging summer box office, while last weekend's top grosser posted a strong hold, ensuring that this August is on pace to be the highest-grossing in history. Hollywood will be delighted after an exceptionally slow July.
1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ($65,575,105)
Most were questioning whether Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles could take the top spot at the box office this weekend or not, never mind by over 50% its nearest rival's takings (in particular, I thought it'd be a gigantic flop for Paramount). Instead, the film rallied surprising numbers to post the fourth-highest start on record for an August opener. Steep drop-offs can be expected from here on out, though the studio has already greenlit a sequel, confirming that this is indeed a big win.
3. Into the Storm ($17,346,427)
A moderate start for Warner Bros.' moderately-budgeted disaster film. Nevertheless, $50 million is a lot of money to put into a film like this, whose B-movie trappings and small potential for critical praise make its chances of reaching such a total domestically pretty slim. A $17 million opening probably won't be enough to make the tornado film break even, as this ought to be an extremely front-loaded run.
Targeting the audience that made The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel a hit two summers back, and who aren't exactly turning out in droves for Get On Up, The Hundred-Foot Journey logs a respectable debut in the chart. This won't be enough to keep the film, which has influential backers in Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey, in the memories of awards voters, alas, but it's far from an embarrassment.
6. Step Up All In ($6,469,857)
A terribly low first weekend gross for the fifth film in the Step Up franchise. It had been hoped that reuniting leading cast members from all four previous Step Up movies (Channing Tatum aside, obvs) after all have failed to make much of their careers since might stoke up more interest in the waning brand, though that was not to be. This ought to be the end of the Step Up films, theatrically at least.
7. Hercules ($5,746,891)
Every now and then, in between films people actually want to see, James Cameron turns out shit like this, regardless of whether or not any demand actually exists. It doesn't.
32. What If ($133,898)
CBS Films, to be fair, don't rly know how to play it with any film, though their release strategy for this rom-com with Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan has sparked some confusion. The film may do better in a more generous release, though even that's not a certainty.
58. The Dog ($12,431)
77. Fifi Howls from Happiness ($2,728)
Music Box have better in them than this paltry debut for an important, acclaimed documentary. What a shame.
Can The Expendables 3 combat an internet leak to muscle up strong earnings next weekend? Also in wide release, The Weinstein Company makes its claim on the YA audience, not particularly convincingly, with The Giver, while Let's Be Cops gets a head start on the competition by opening on Wednesday.
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