The animated sequel drew an estimated $47 million this weekend for first place, topping the $42 million Hotel Transylvania opened with in 2012. That figure is something of a disappointment given the A CinemaScore the film earned in limited release and the solid $7.2 million it generated in its inaugural weekend. Rory Bruer, Sony’s president of worldwide distribution, was thrilled with the news. “This is a huge opening”.
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Rumors of Adam Sandler’s box-office demise have clearly been exaggerated, as the actor/comedian returned to the top of the weekend rankings with a record-breaking opening for Hotel Transylvania 2.
It’s the last weekend of September, so the box office should be just waking out of its post-summer sleep and building toward October. Moviegoers also skewed female (59%). I’m thinking it’s animated or bust from now on, chief.
Overseas, the franchise has also become a hit. It has $2.4 million domestically and $6.8 million worldwide. A recent drought of family targeted films may have helped the movie as well. It goes wide next weekend.
Audiences for the Nancy Meyers written and directed film were 62 percent women and 88 percent over the age of 25.
The Intern does offer a few good moments and there is a platonic playfulness between De Niro and Hathaway, which endears the film even more. “People connect to her concept and the story lines”. With positive word-of-mouth, the film’s success won’t stop here.
“The film absolutely delivered to its core audience”, Goldstein said.
The sequel from Sony Pictures couldn’t come at a better time for Sandler or Sony.
Elsewhere, Baltasar Kormakur’s Everest came in behind expectations with $13.1 million from 3,006 theaters as it expanded nationwide after a limited 3D engagement last weekend in Imax and premium large-format theaters.
The feature film about an infamous 1996 disaster on the world’s highest mountain stars Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, Sam Worthington, Keira Knightley, Emily Watson and Jake Gyllenhaal. The Green Inferno might be able to make back its estimated $6M budget, but don’t expect too much more as audiences gave the film a very poor C- CinemaScore rating.
Warner Bros.’ “Black Mass”, which follows the rise of South Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger, rounded out the top five in its second weekend. But the really big news was definitely the performance of Eli Roth’s horror shocker The Green Inferno.
War Room dropped two runs in its fifth weekend with $4.3 million.
Rounding out the top ten was “Sicario“, a drug war thriller featuring Benicio Del Toro as a brooding and shadowy agent looking for revenge as he operates across the US-Mexico border, with $1.8 million. “Maze Runner: Scorch Trials” – $14 million 4. From 129 locations, the clichéd drama only grossed $112,414 for a lousy per-screen average of just $871.
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Stonewall, Roland Emmerich’s passion project about the riots that sparked the modern LGBT rights movement, suffered both a critical beating and tragically slow ticket sales.
