As expected, the latest YA flick, The Maze Runner topped the box office. But unlike so many flops in the genre, the movie was able to pull in $32.5 million, for a $9,018 per-venue average. Yes, that's not Divergent or The Hunger Games or Twilight, but its still a fairly strong debut. The film wasn't originally expected to do huge business, but chalk it up to a strong marketing effort and solid reviews to help fuel this turnout. Also, unlike so many YA films, this one appealed heavily to younger guys, who don't usually come out to see these types of movies. Distributor 20th Century Fox produced it for $34 million, and announced today a sequel set for this same weekend in 2015. The CinemaScore was an "A-", so this could play out fairly well through the rest of the month. Looks like YA films are here to stay over the next several years.
Opening in second place was Liam Neeson's latest, A Walk Among the Tombstones. However, the action flick didn't quite hit the mark for the actor, pulling in $13.1 million, for an average of a modest $4,840 per theater. That's less than half of Non-Stop from earlier this year, though that one had a PG-13 rating in comparison to this movie's R rating. Reviews were solid, though the CinemaScore was a mediocre "B-". On a $28 million budget, its going to have to play well in the next few weeks in order to turn a profit. Next week will, unfortunately, bring competition from The Equalizer. Distributor Universal was hoping for closer to $20 million.
The final new wide release opened in third to somewhat disappointing results. Despite strong marketing, romantic comedy This is Where I Leave You only managed to pull in $11.9 million, for a per-venue average of a weak $4,135. The starpower wasn't phenomenal though, and the original name just didn't quite connect with date night audiences enough. Reviews were mixed, and the CinemaScore was a "B+". This could hold well in the coming weeks, and should ultimately wind up in the black (the budget was only $19 million). But, its not going to be something we'll remember by the end of the year.Last week's topper, No Good Deed, fell on its face in its second weekend, off 58% to $10.2 million. Since its debut 10 days ago, the Idris Elba flick has earned a solid $40.1 million. Look for a final gross between $50 and $60 million, but it doesn't seem like word-of-mouth here is good. Dolphin Tale 2 surprisingly didn't find the strong hold its predecessor did, off 43% to $9 million, for a more subdued $27.1 million 10-day pick-up. And that's not the last of its worries. The Boxtrolls arrives next week.
The rest of the Top 10 were all August remainders. Guardians of the Galaxy continued to play well late in its run, down 36% to $5.2 million, for a $313.7 million gross in eight weeks of release. The Marvel blockbuster passed Iron Man 2's final gross on Saturday. Lets be Cops and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles tied for seventh with $2.7 million apiece. Cops was down 39%, and has earned a strong $77.2 million in 39 days. Turtles fell 45% and is at a strong $185 million in seven weeks of release.
James Gandolfini's final movie The Drop was down an unexpected 50% despite adding more theaters. It earned $2.1 million, for a $7.7 million gross in 10 days. The dramedy will likely just nudge past $10 million. Rounding out the list is If I Stay, which fell 53% to $1.8 million. The Chloe Grace Moretz drama has earned a solid $47.7 million in one month of release, though nowhere near exceptional for the YA drama.
Next weekend should put Denzel Washington's The Equalizer on top. The Boxtrolls should pull in decent numbers in second or third place. Will the up streak continue? (and reviews of Dolphin Tale 2 and When the Game Stands Tall will be up soon [sorry for the delay]).
