Outperforming expectations, No Good Deed debuted on top with a strong $24.5 million, for an average of a huge $11,264 from 2,175 locations. Buzz was pretty strong heading into release, but no one really was thinking this was going to break out (to a degree, the opening isn't incredibly exceptional by all means). But, the opening nearly doubled the film's $13 million budget. As far as long-term playability, these types of movies don't usually hold well in the long run, and negative critical reception won't help either. A "B+" CinemaScore will help balance things out, but don't look for more than $60 million out of this one. Distributor Sony was hoping for $15 million.
Meanwhile, Dolphin Tale 2 underperformed slightly. The family sequel opened to $16.6 million, averaging a mild $4,527 from 3,656 locations. That's a little bit below the first Dolphin Tale's $19 million opening, though that was inflated with 3D grosses, so the attendance was probably around the same (this one was not in 3D). However, it doesn't quite reverse the trend of under-performing family sequels (and most sequels for that matter), which somewhat dates back to Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 back last September. Distributor Warner Bros. was hoping for $20 million, though the budget was just $36 million here. Reviews were good, while audiences gave it an "A" CinemaScore. The first Dolphin Tale held on well, reaching a $72 million final gross. I'm not sure this can do the same, with The Boxtrolls and Alexander and the No Good, Horrible, Terrible, Very Bad Day opening within the next month, but it should still hold well enough to pass $50 million.After topping four of the last seven weekends, Guardians of the Galaxy finally retreated to the third spot. The Marvel superhero blockbuster held on spectacularly though, off just 22% to $8 million. In the process, it became the year's first movie to pass $300 million stateside (its at $305.9 million in 49 days). Look for it to continue holding well for the next few weeks or so.
With an overall weak marketplace, the rest of the Top 10 ended up below $5 million. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles slid back to just fourth place in its sixth weekend, by default. The Michael Bay flick fell a light 26% to $4.8 million, and is still an unexpected surprise, earning $181 million in 37 days. Lets be Cops was off 23% to $4.3 million, and is at a strong $73 million in one month of release.
Surprisingly, opening in sixth place was a limited release. Crime thriller The Drop, which features the final performance of the late James Gandolfini, was able to rope in $4.2 million, for a per-venue average of a decent $5,192 from 809 locations. Should Fox decide to expand it further, the movie should continue playing for a while.
If I Stay was off 27% to $4.1 million, and has earned a solid $44.9 million in 24 days. The November Man followed with a 36% dip to $2.8 million, for a 19-day pick up of a mediocre $22.5 million. The Giver continued to hold well in its fifth weekend, down just 23% to $2.6 million, for a very solid $41.3 million in 30 days. The Hundred-Foot Journey rounded out the Top 10 in its sixth weekend, down a light 22% to $2.5 million, and is at a strong $49.4 million in 37 days.
That's it for this weekend. Will have a review up for Dolphin Tale 2 Tuesday or Wednesday.
