I didn't see much anticipation for this movie honestly (though Sony heavily marketed it over the past few weeks), but The Equalizer 2 miraculously was able to pull off an upset and take the #1 spot. The R-rated actioner pulled in $35.8 million (strong $10,574 per-venue average), way ahead of analysts' $25 million predictions (I really lowballed here). Perhaps it's Denzel Washington that saved the day here (or a lack of any real appealing options for African-Americans). In comparison, the first Equalizer opened to $34 million back in September 2014. The fact that this actually opened higher than its predecessor is a rare feat indeed. Reviews were literally down-the-middle (50% on Rotten Tomatoes), while audiences gave it a stellar "A" CinemaScore. Originally scheduled for September, it looks like Sony's decision to move it up to summer was a good one (the studio has topped the box office the last couple weeks in a row). On a budget of a relatively restrained $62 million, this is a very good start. As of now, whether or not it holds well will depend on how it fares in the face of next weekend's Mission: Impossible Fallout. Sony was expecting a mid-20's debut.
Of course, this means that the other sequel opening is in a narrow second place (to be fair, though, the first film also opened in the runner-up position). Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again proved to be a bit front-loaded over the weekend. After being projected to pull in around $40 million yesterday, the musical sequel simmered down to $34.4 million ($10,365 per-venue average). With strong buzz, this was in line with most analysts' expectations, though some were optimistic it might would go higher. However, what's most important to note here is that the sequel outpaced the original Mamma Mia!'s $27.7 million opening from this same weekend 10 years ago. For musicals, this is the fourth-biggest debut for the genre on record (behind last year's Beauty and the Beast remake, Enchanted and High School Musical 3). Reviews for the sequel were stronger than the original (79% vs. 54% on Rotten Tomatoes), while the CinemaScore was a very good "A-". The front-loading over the weekend might be a bit concerning sign, but the lack of any films aimed at females the rest of the summer will help. Universal produced the film for $75 million, and was predicting a debut in the high-20's millions.Following its solid debut last week, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation failed to hold well in its second frame. Down 48% to $23.2 million, the threequel has earned a solid $91.1 million in 10 days. That's in line with the $90.7 million 10-day pick-up of Hotel Transylvania 2, but that film was off only 32% in its second frame (though that film never had summer weekdays to its benefit). Next weekend will be more challenging as Teen Titans GO! to the Movies opens up.
After a harsh drop last week, Ant-Man and the Wasp stabilized a little, off 45% in its third weekend to $16.1 million. The Marvel sequel has earned $164.6 million in 17 days, and looks like it will have enough juice to get past $200 million stateside (the original Ant-Man finished with just under $180 million back in 2015). Worldwide, it has passed $350 million with more to go. Fellow Disney release The Incredibles 2 followed with its best hold yet. The Pixar phenomenon was off just 29% in its sixth weekend to $11.5 million, for a huge $557.4 million gross in 42 days. It has jumped into the Top 10 all-time chart domestically, currently ranking in ninth place just ahead of 2008's The Dark Knight (which also opened on this same weekend 10 years ago).
Having its strongest hold yet, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom was off just 32% in its fifth frame to $11 million. The dino sequel has earned a terrific $383.9 million in one month of release, with the worldwide tally about to pass $1.2 billion. Tying it for sixth place was fellow Universal flick Skyscraper. But the Dwayne Johnson flick failed to hold it together after a rough start, down 56% to $11 million. The 10-day gross is at a disappointing $46.7 million. Both films are likely to lose a good amount of screens next weekend with Mission: Impossible Fallout looking to steal action audiences.
Horror sequel The First Purge surprisingly continued to hold well in its third frame, off 47% to $5 million. In 19 days, the prequel to the horror franchise hit has earned a rock solid $60.2 million, just a few million behind where Purge: Anarchy ($63.3 million) was at the end of its third weekend. This is turning into a surprisingly leggy hit, as the final gross looks to try and approach $70 million.
Meanwhile, fellow horror flick Unfriended: Dark Web failed to generate much attention (mostly thanks to a much lower theater count and the loss of first film distributor Universal's marketing muscle). The indie flick managed just $3.5 million in ninth place (poor $2,261 per-venue average), behind the $6-7 million analysts were expecting. However, the budget on this flick was just $1 million. So, things will turn out AOK in the end for Blumhouse. The first Unfriended opened to $16 million on its way to twice that number. Reviews were mixed to positive (57% on Rotten Tomatoes), while the CinemaScore was a mixed "C" from audiences.
Rounding out the Top 10 in its third week is indie critical darling Sorry to Bother You. Despite adding 245 locations, the film dropped 33% to $2.8 million, for a decent (but far from anything noteworthy) $10.3 million since its limited launch 17 days ago.
That's about it. Next weekend will bring the debut of the latest Tom Cruise action extravaganza, Mission: Impossible Fallout, while Warner Bros. brings the debut of a rare hand-drawn animated film. The TV series adaptation Teen Titans GO! to the Movies. Both films have earned rave reception from critics early on, so its' already looking interesting. Look out for a predictions post on Wednesday. :)
