Opening on top to terrific results was Denzel Washington's The Equalizer. The crime thriller pulled in a strong $35 million, for a per-venue average of a strong $10,816. For Washington, this is his third-biggest debut of his career behind American Gangster and Safe House. This is also the fourth-biggest debut for the month of September, behind Hotel Transylvania, Insidious - Chapter 2 and Sweet Home Alabama. Given Washington's strong reputation, it really isn't a huge surprise this broke out. The poster and marketing seemed fairly generic, but his name brings in an audience on its own. Decent reviews (60% on Rotten Tomatoes) and word-of-mouth (A- CinemaScore) should keep this playing over the next month or so. $100 million I think is guaranteed at this point unless it unexpectedly falls off harder than anticipated. Distributor Sony was hoping for around $30 million.Following its solid debut last weekend, The Maze Runner held up decently for a YA film, off 46% to $17.5 million. That hold was in line with The Giver's second weekend, which wound up earning over 3.5 times its opening weekend. In 10 days though, Maze Runner has picked up a much stronger $58 million, and has a small chance at reaching $100 million if it stabilizes from here.
Opening in a very close third (and could take second by the time actual grosses are released tomorrow), The Boxtrolls got off to a very good start. The latest effort from stop-motion animation and Laika Studios pulled in $17.3 million, for a per-venue average of a mild $4,980. That's the second-biggest debut ever for stop-motion or clay-animation, behind just Corpse Bride ($19 million), and it is a bit of improvement over ParaNorman from a couple years back. With a strong marketing campaign and a more family-friendly angle with this title, distributor Focus Features should be more than pleased here. Competition will be a factor in the coming weeks, as Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day and The Book of Life are waiting in the wings over the next few weeks. With solid reviews (71% Rotten Tomatoes) and decent word-of-mouth (B+ CinemaScore), this should at least pass $50 million stateside.Holding decently after a so-so start, This is Where I Leave You was down 39% to $7 million, for a decent, though unspectacular $22.6 million in 10 days. This should avoid the "bomb" territory, as it will likely close in the $35-$40 million vicinity. But again, this isn't really going to be remembered in a couple months' time.
Dolphin Tale 2 is surprisingly falling much faster than expected, down 46% in the face of The Boxtrolls to $4.8 million. In 17 days, the sequel has earned $33.7 million, and may have a hard time reaching $50 million by the time its done. To be brutally honest, considering how the first one was well-received, I'm surprised this hasn't shown stronger stability.
No Good Deed was off 53% to $4.6 million, and has earned a very solid $46.6 million in 17 days. Meanwhile, A Walk Among the Tombstones plummeted 67% to $4.2 million, for a stale $20.8 million 10-day pick-up. The Liam Neeson thriller surprisingly isn't showing much interest from audiences and will now struggle to hit $30 million. Disappointing.
Guardians of the Galaxy has spent nine-straight weekends in the Top 10 and continues to hold on strong, down a Top 10-best 28% to $3.8 million. On Saturday, it passed Iron Man's final gross and has earned a huge $319.2 million in 63 days. The Marvel blockbuster could climb another $10 million more before it finally disappears.
Two more August holdovers with strong numbers rounded out the Top 10. Lets Be Cops was off 44% to $1.5 million, and has picked up a strong $79.6 million in 51 days. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was off 45% to $1.45 million, and has earned a strong $187.2 million since its' debut 56 days ago, and is pulling in solid numbers overseas as well.
That's it for this week, Next week starts the month of October with Gone Girl, Annabelle and the Left Behind remake. Can all of those push the box office to new heights?
