Thanks to opening huge last weekend, Universal and Illumination Entertainment remained at #1 with The Secret Life of Pets, which continued to dominate the marketplace. The animated caper did take a bit of a hit, off 52% to $50.6 million, for a still very strong $203.1 million gross in just 10 days. In comparison, Despicable Me 2 was off 47% in its second weekend while Minions was down 57%. Next weekend will bring competition from Ice Age: Collision Course, so Pets probably won't find legs or sustained momentum until later in its run. But, at this point, it's on pace for a finish well north of $300 million. Overseas, the animated flick is only in a handful of markets right now, and it's at $255 million worldwide so far.
The summer's biggest wild card was always Sony's much-buzzed about reboot of their classic comedy Ghostbusters. The supernatural film battled back lots of negative buzz to an opening of $46 million in second place, for a solid $11,607 per-venue average. Altogether, this isn't a bad start by all means, as Ghostbusters well outpaced flops from this year such as Alice Through the Looking Glass, Independence Day: Resurgence, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2, and Warcraft, as well as distributor Sony's expectations ($38-40 million). On a budget of $144 million, the number isn't fantastic though. Reviews were solid (73% on Rotten Tomatoes), while the CinemaScore was a "B+". The fanbase has rushed out, so I'm not sure how this will fare in the long run. Overseas is off to a decent start from a handful of markets ($19 million). In the end, mad fans will probably be even madder that this will probably won't be a flop.Warner Bros. and Disney remained in a close race as their titles in the list were basically tied for third. The Legend of Tarzan was off 47% in its third weekend to $11.1 million, for a decent, if unspectacular $103.1 million. At its current pace, Tarzan should wind up around $135 million stateside. That won't be enough, however, to cover its $180 million budget. Overseas, its at $90 million with China releasing in a couple of days.
Starting to run on fumes, Finding Dory was off 47% in its fifth weekend to $11 million. But, with a spectacular $445.5 million gross in 30 days, it has passed Shrek 2 ($441 million) to become the biggest animated movie of all-time in the United States. Considering how fast its falling now (and with Ice Age around the corner), Dory might not make it to the coveted $500 million mark. But, that's not an issue whatsoever. It's at $725 million worldwide.
Following its decent start last weekend, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates took a hit from Ghostbusters this weekend. The R-rated comedy was down 55% to $7.5 million, for a still pretty solid $31.3 million gross in 10 days. Wedding Dates should make its away to around $50 million stateside, better than what most were expecting. The Purge: Election Year followed with a 51% dip in its third frame to $6.1 million. The horror threequel is at $71 million in 17 days, and is about to pass the final gross of Anarchy to become the biggest movie in the series domestically.
Central Intelligence continues to show some later in the game stability, as the Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson action comedy was off just 34% in its fifth weekend to $5.3 million. In one month of release, it has earned a very good $117.5 million (and $180 million worldwide).
Meanwhile, the weekend's other new nationwide release, Bryan Cranston's crime thriller The Infiltrator, opened slightly ahead of expectations. Opening on Wednesday, the Broad Green Pictures production pulled in $5.3 million over the weekend ($3,304 per-venue average from 1,600 locations), and $6.7 million since Wednesday. Many had predicted this hitting only $5 million for the 5 days. However, despite this, the budget for the film was reportedly $47 million. It's going to be nearly impossible for Broad Green to get out of red ink here. Reviews were fairly decent (64% on Rotten Tomatoes).Disney disappointment The BFG continues to fade fast, off 52% in its third weekend to $3.7 million, for just $47.3 million picked up in 17 days. The Steven Spielberg production will struggle to reach $60 million stateside. It's yet to open in most overseas territories, however. Independence Day: Resurgence rounded out the Top 10 in its fourth weekend, off 56% to $3.5 million, for a still not-good $98.5 million pick-up in 24 days. The action sequel is faring better overseas, and is at near $350 million so far. If it can reach $400 million, it may be able to escape red ink.
And that's it for this weekend. Next week, two more sequels debut. Star Trek Beyond looks to take advantage of strong early reviews, while Ice Age: Collision Course opens to try and keep the 15-year old animated franchise going (it is doing strong business overseas so far though). Will they both be able to propel the box office a bit higher? We'll see.
