Considering there hasn't been anything for horror audiences in months, it only made sense that The Purge broke out. The heavily-buzzed flick earned a strong $34.1 million, for a per-venue average of a very strong $13,430 (from just 2,536 locations). That was the biggest horror opening since The Devil Inside a year and a half ago, and it proves that there hasn't been much appealing fare for horror fans as of late. Purge had been tracking unbelievably strong for the past few weeks, and if its' hype had been believed, it would have been expected to have opened this high. But just like Now You See Me, audiences have been looking for non-blockbuster fare, and this perfectly counter-programmed the big-budget flicks. The budget was just $3 million, so it will be one of the most profitable titles of the year, and was distributor Universal's third-straight week on top (and seventh week of the year at #1). Universal now has had 5 #1 openers this year, and has had a red-hot summer so far between this and Fast and Furious 6. They were anticipating a debut of around $20 million, and audiences gave the flick an average (for the genre) "C" CinemaScore (amidst generally negative critical reception).After two frames on top, Fast and Furious 6 retreated to second, but held decently, off 44% to $19.6 million, and passed the $200 million milestone today. In 17 days, the sixth installment of the blockbuster franchise has earned $202.8 million, and will pass Fast Five's $209 million final gross by the end of this week. Internationally, the latest Fast movie is already rapidly approaching the $600 million mark.
Close behind in third with a strong hold, Now You See Me was off just 35% to $19 million, for a 10-day gross of a very strong $60.9 million. The magician crime flick is proving to also be strong counter-programming, and now looks well-positioned to close north of $100 million, as long as it isn't pummeled by Man of Steel and This is the End next weekend.
Meanwhile, the other new release, The Internship, opened to fairly modest results in fourth place. The Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson comedy debuted to an okay $17.3 million, for a per-theater average of a modest $5,147 from 3,366 theaters. That was slightly above expectations, which had pegged a $15 million debut. But this isn't particularly a great start for a star-studded comedy, and its' also not a great start for a comedy that was produced for a pretty high price tag ($58 million by distributor Fox [most comedies cost about half that amount these days]). Also, Wilson and Vaughn aren't the box office draws they used to be (neither is director Shawn Levy). The opening was in line with Vaughn's recent buddy comedy The Dilemma, which went on to gross a disappointing $45 million domestically, a range that Internship will likely have a hard time breaking out of. Reviews were negative, while audiences were more kind, giving it a generally solid "B+" CinemaScore. Usually that would help it, but competition is strong in the weeks ahead, with This is the End opening on Wednesday. The studio projected a $16 million debut.Another Fox release rounded out the Top 5 with a strong hold. Blue Sky Studios' Epic caught up with family audiences and was off a light 29% to $11.9 million, for a fairly solid $84 million gross in 17 days. The animated action pic will have one more weekend to hold well before Monsters University arrives, so look for a decent finish of $120 million. Star Trek into Darkness was off a light 32% to $11.4 million, and passed $200 million on Monday. The sci-fi sequel was at $199.9 million in 24 days, and is about $9 million behind its' predecessor through the same point. Its' strongest competition, After Earth, plummeted 61% to $10.7 million, and has picked up a disappointing $46.1 million in 10 days. Will Smith's rare misfire will likely close in the $65 million vicinity, a similar dumpster that Battleship and John Carter rotted in (though it will escape being a major write-down as it was produced for 40% cheaper than those films).
The Hangover - Part III became the years' ninth flick to pass $100 million, but that's not saying much, especially when it fell another 55% to $7.3 million. The Wolfpack's final turn with audiences has picked up $102.3 million in 17 days, or over $100 million behind its' predecessor through the same point. Still though, the threequel will still be a success as its' earning huge numbers overseas. Iron Man 3 had its' final hurrah in the Top 10 before Man of Steel wipes it out. The threequel was down just 32% to $5.8 million, for a huge $394.3 million pick-up in six weeks of release, and will pass $400 million in the next week or two. The Great Gatsby rounded out the Top 10 in its' fifth weekend, off 35% to $4.2 million, for a strong $136.2 million gross in one month of release.
Overseas, After Earth saved some face with a solid, but unspectacular $45.5 million from 60 territories, enough to claim first place internationally this weekend. That's behind Oblivion's strong debut from eight less markets, though its' respectable given the intense competition. Oblivion is expected to finish with around $200 million overseas. With that in mind plus the strong competition ahead, it may be a stretch for After Earth to reach $300 million worldwide. Fast and Furious 6 stayed in second place with another $45.3 million from 90% of the international marketplace, for an overseas tally of over $380 million, and will pass Fast Five's $415 million final overseas tally by next weekend. The Hangover - Part III added $34.8 million from most markets, for a $170 million overseas tally, on its' way to a final worldwide tally of around $400 million. Star Trek into Darkness added $17.6 million for a $175 million overseas gross so far, while The Great Gatsby rounded out the Top 5 with another $13.3 million, with its' overseas tally approaching $150 million and global tally inching closer to $300 million.
