Weekend Box Office 2014: Scarlett Johansson's 'Lucy' Rules Weekend; Philip Seymour Hoffman's 'A Most Wanted Man' Surprises
Lucy has won the box office, fortifying Scarlett Johansson's position as an audience draw and beating out Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson's latest "Hercules."
The Luc Besson actioner scored $44 million at the box office in 3,173 theaters. The total surpassed expectations especially since reviews were mixed on the film. However, it reaffirms that female-driven films are moneymakers. This year alone, "Maleficent," "Tammy" and "The Fault in Our Stars" scored prominent box office runs and at times surpassed male-driven films. Johansson also maintained her status as an A-List actress that audiences want to see. This year, she had successes with "Under the Skin," "Chef" and "Captain America: The Winter Soldier." The following weekends will be crucial to see if the film holds up and if it can reach the $100 million mark.
In 3,595 theaters, "Hercules" made an impressive--if not stellar--$29 million. The opening is below similar period CGI films including "The Scorpion King," "Wrath of the Titans" and "The Immortals." The film's mixed reviews and generic look dissuaded most audiences from going to see it. Next week, the movie faces fierce competition from "Guardians of the Galaxy," and that will most likely crush its hopes of a $100 million finish.
Third place went to "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" which made $16.4 million. The film has now made $172 million and by next weekend it should surpass its predecessor, "Rise of the Planet to the Apes." The film also is also on track to become the first film in the series to make $200 million domestically.
In its second weekend, "The Purge: Anarchy" collapsed with a 66 percent drop. However, it was not as massive as the original film. The movie ended its weekend with $9.8 million and brought its total to $51 million. The movie could still be on track to make $60 million by the end of its run.
Meanwhile, "Planes: Fire and Rescue" held better and made $9.3 million. The movie has now made $35 million and is unlikely to reach the success of last year's installment.
"Sex Tape" also crashed with $5.9 million in its second weekend. The film has only made $26 million and it will have a hard time reaching the $40 million mark.
"Transformers: Age of Extinction" made another $4.6 million and has only made $236 million in its first five weekends. A final $250 million may not happen if the film continues dropping so quickly.
Clarius Entertainment had its second flop in a row. "And So It Goes" failed to bring in older audiences and only made $4.5 million. The new distribution company's weak marketing campaign and terrible reviews hurt it even greater.
In art house cinemas, "A Most Wanted Man" scored the second-best opening weekend ever for Roadside Attractions. The feature made $2.7 million in 361 theaters. Positive reviews and the fact that it stars the late Philip Seymour Hoffman were catalysts for audience's interests. The film will expand into 600 theaters next weekend.
"Boyhood" also continued as a successful run. The film, which is currently playing in 107 theaters, made $1.7 million and brought its gross to $4.1 million. The IFC Feature is on the road to becoming the company's second highest grossing film. The company will continue to expand "Boyhood" in the following weeks especially since it has good word of mouth.
"Begin Again" had mixed results in its fifth frame as it only scored $1.5 million. The film has now made $12.3 million and is unlikely to end its run with $20 million.
Meanwhile, "The Fluffy Movie" failed to engage audiences in its opening weekend. The feature played at 432 theaters and brought in $1.3 million.
Woody Allen's "Magic in the Moonlight" opened in 17 theaters to $425,000. The film averaged an outstanding $25,000. The success of the film is no surprise given the director's latest "Blue Jasmine" and "Midnight in Paris," which became two of the Allen's highest grossing films. Sony Pictures Classics is planning a wider expansion in the next weeks.
Zach Braff had terrible results with "Wish I Was Here." The Kickstarter-funded movie expanded into wide release and only managed to make $1.1 milion in 625 theaters. The poor performance of the movie marks the fifth failure for Focus Features this year following "Walk of Shame," "Bad Words," "That Awkward Moment" and "The Signal."
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