“One of the best September debuts ever”, concluded movie analyst Paul Dergarabedian, at the industry-tracking firm comScore.
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‘It proves that going to the movies is not just a youth-driven habit.
The figures certainly seem to bear this out, as according to distributers Warner Bros an estimated 80 per cent of those who turned out this weekend were over the age of 35.
Its casting also hit a sweet spot for audiences, with 39 per cent of viewers saying they turned up to see Tom Hanks. It likely won’t have a lot of legs to it but it’ll do well overall, though less than the similarly themed film The Perfect Guy, which arrived the same time a year ago and did $25 million for its opening. Eastwood shot it entirely with Imax cameras, a first for a major Hollywood film.
Back to the box office, thriller When the Bough Breaks, starring Regina Hall and Morris Chestnut, debuts at two with $15 million (GBP11.3 million), while horror movie Don’t Breathe falls to three after two weeks at the top. The same could also be said of Pete’s Dragon, whose estimated $2.9 million has brought it to $70 million domestically, but still needs more than might be possible to break even on its costs before exiting theaters.
The company’s president of worldwide distribution Rory Bruer insisted the film had performed ‘way beyond anyone’s expectations. Don’t Breathe, in the meantime, fell from its first-place perch to third, but with an estimated $8.2 million and $66.8 million put away against a $9.9 million budget, the critically acclaimed horror entry does not appear too anxious.
The top 10 was completed by comedy animation Sausage Party, which made $2.3m (£1.7m).
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Lionsgate animated movie The Wild Life opened at No. 5 with US$3.4 million, while horror movie The Disappointments Room, from Relativity, more than lived up to its title, with an abysmal US$1.4 million in ticket sales.
