Sully came in at number one for the second straight week with an estimated gross of $22 million. That film currently sits at $70.5 million and has already surpassed its $65 million budget. This seems to be the adult film of choice at the box office so expect to see this one continue to have strong legs in the week’s ahead.
Opening in a distant second is the first of three new releases that failed to live up to expectations. Blair Witch, which some predicted would knock Sully from the top spot, earned just $9.6 million over the weekend. This was tracking as high as $20 million so this is definitely a disappointment. The one thing saving is its low $5 million budget but with an opening night “D+” Cinemascore, this will fade away fast and take with it any hopes of reviving the franchise.
Coming in third is Bridget Jones’ Baby with $8.2 million. This is also a disappointing start considering the glowing reviews the film got (78% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) but it would seem that audiences weren’t interested in seeing the continued adventures of Bridget Jones. A movie like this isn’t just a domestic player, though the first film made $210 million internationally while the sequel fared even better with $222 million outside the United States. It should make up for its less than enthusiastic performance here once the international box office is all said and done.
The last of the new releases, Snowden, comes in fourth with $8 million. This marks the lowest opening weekend for Oliver Stone since U Turn in 1997. The film was tracking in the $10 million range so it’s just slightly below expectations but I don’t think this one will have the legs to make up for the soft start, despite its opening night “A” Cinemascore.
Check out the full top ten films below:
September 16-18
- Sully – $22 million
- Blair Witch – $9.6 million
- Bridget Jones’ Baby – $8.2 million
- Snowden – $8 million
- Don’t Breathe – $5.6 million
- When the Bough Breaks – $5.5 million
- Suicide Squad – $4.7 million
- The Wild Life – $2.6 million
- Kubo and the Two Strings – $2.5 million
- Pete’s Dragon – $2 million.