OPENINGS: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (Marvel/Disney) has something the summer’s other blockbusters could only dream of: weeks ahead without any A-level competition. When the biggest titles coming up are the rebooted Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and The Expendables 3, there’s a real opportunity to romp for the entire month of August. With its $37.8M start–the 3d biggest day any movie has had all year with the exceptions of the opening days for Transformers: Age of Extinction ($41.9M) and Godzilla ($38.4M), and a weekend that will certainly top $90M, Guardians has the chance to sweep past Transformers (currently at $239.6M and nearly done) as the biggest movie of the year in the US. Guardians probably can’t compete with Transformers overseas (the alien robots are at $745.4M and still selling tickets), but this is a giant win for our Disney and Marvel overlords.
Even with the crushing competition, GET ON UP (Universal) has to be considered something of a disappointment at $5M on Friday and a weekend that won’t get far beyond $15M. Universal chose this slot because it had been so profitable for the African-American-themed historical dramas The Help ($26M) and The Butler ($24.6M), but Get On Up isn’t close to those–nor to the $27.5M opening for 42 (which starred Get On Up‘s Chadwick Boseman) or even the $20M start for Ray, which opened at different times of the year. Get On Up looks like it it will struggle to get past $50M, performing roughly the same as Jersey Boys, which had a $13.3M opening and is now at $45.9M. Don’t expect many more big-studio biographies about musical figures of the 1950s-60s in the near future.
A MOST WANTED MAN (Lionsgate/Roadside) expanded to a wider 729 theatres, but even though it doubled its theaters, its Friday results were only up 17% from last week. It’s probably headed for a $2.5M weekend and a per-theatre average that may not reach $4K.
HOLDOVERS: LUCY (Universal) was smashed by Guardians, down 68% from last Friday to $5.5M and on its way to a $18M weekend. It may hit $120M in the US when it’s done, still a terrific result for a mid-budget movie. HERCULES (Paramount/MGM), though, cost more than twice as much as Lucy, and it plunged 72% from last Friday to $3.2M, and perhaps a $10M weekend. It may not even get to $75M in the US, and will have to triple that overseas just to approach breakeven.
DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (20th) led the longer runs with a 49% drop to $2.4M on Friday and a likely $8.5M weekend. It won’t exceed $200M in the US by much. THE PURGE: ANARCHY (Universal) fell 48% to $1.8M and a $5.5M weekend–by next week it should beat the original Purge‘s $64.5M US total, and might get to $75M. PLANES: FIRE & RESCUE (Disney) is holding better, down 36% to $1.8M on Friday and headed to $6M for the weekend, but it may only reach $65M, far from the $90.3M of the first Planes. SEX TAPE (Columbia/Sony) fell 44% to $1.1M, with a $3.5M weekend and $40M total ahead.
CHEF (Open Road), incredibly, is still dropping just 15% Friday-to-Friday. It will go over $28M this weekend with $30M in its sights.
LIMITED RELEASE: CALVARY (Fox Searchlight) had a meek start at 4 NY/LA theatres, and may have a $15K per-theatre weekend average. CHILD OF GOD (Well Go) may have a $5K average at 10 theatres, and that’s even counting the boost from in-person James Franco Q&As. BOYHOOD (IFC) expanded again to 311 theatres, and although it’s starting to hit a wall as it moves past the big-city arthouses, it should still have a solid $7500 per-theatre average, and could reach $15-20M before it’s done. MAGIC IN THE MOONLIGHT (Sony Classics) expanded to 65 theatres and should have a $10K average, far below the $37K average that Blue Jasmine had at 50 theatres, but much better than the $3700 average for You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger at 74. Magic will probably settle for $10-15M, a fair result for an off-peak Woody Allen effort. I ORIGINS (Fox Searchlight) expanded to 122 theatres very badly, and won’t even be close to a $1000 per-theatre average.
NEXT WEEKEND: As noted, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (Paramount) will make their return appearance. The weather thriller INTO THE STORM (Warners) and dance sequel STEP UP: ALL IN (Summit/Lionsgate) will go after slightly older audiences, while true oldsters are targeted with THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY (DreamWorks/Disney). WHAT IF (CBS), a rom-com starring Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan, enters limited release.
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