Each of the above-mentioned films scored a “B” Cinemascore or better based on theater exit polling, with The Conjuring 2 nabbing a rock-solid “A-” grade and everything but Lights Out garnering a “B+”.
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As predicted, the new thriller, “Don’t Breathe”, has become the No. 1 film at the box office, according to Box Office Mojo. And that toon came from an established animation powerhouse (Illumination) plus had a warchest of marketing dollars.
After weeks at the top, “Suicide Squad” was kicked to No. 2 by a three kids and a blind man – and rightfully so.
Late August typically sees weak openings making this performance especially impressive.
“Suicide Squad”, that #2 film, added $12.1 million to its haul this weekend. Final domestic figures will be released Monday. That would be only about 5% below what Batman v Superman ended with. Where available, the latest global numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. The film was produced by Ghost House Pictures and Good Universe.
Another unorthodox toon followed. The raunchy animated flick “Sausage Party” landed in fourth place with $7.7 million to edge the flick even closer to the $100 million mark at the domestic box-office. Completing the top five is Jason Statham’s Mechanic: Resurrection, which opened with $7.5 million.
“War Dogs”, $7.3 million ($5.3 million international). Contrast that with last summer’s crop of fright-driven offerings, which not only boasted one high-profile commercial misfire (the critically-drubbed Poltergeist remake) but a lower average Cinemascore among its major titles. Blockbuster sequels – like Indepedence Day: Resurgence, Star Trek: Beyond, Jason Bourne and Alice Through the Looking Glass – have largely fallen flat during this year’s spring/summer months.
And rounding out the top three was “Kubo and the Two Strings”.
Further down the list, the new Ben Hur dropped from fifth place to 10th in its second week, putting its running total at $19.6m (£14.9m). The $100M-budgeted film will be lucky to reach $30M from North America. RottenTomatoes gave it 24 percent positive reviews.
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Weinstein Co.’s “Hands of Stone”, about boxer Roberto Duran, opened in 16th place with sales of $1.7 million. Total to date for Lionsgate and CBS is $8.6M. The Warner Bros. release has earned $282.9 million domestically, a muscular result given that critics derided the film as one of the season’s worst.
