Movie Box Office News:'The Maze Runner' Wins Box Office; Sequel Coming
"The Maze Runner" won the movie box office this past weekend, beating out other new releases "A Walk Among the Tombstones" and "The is Where I Leave You."
It also successfully helped revive the box office after a disappointing summer.
The 20th Century Fox release based on the James Dashner novel made $32.5 million in its opening week. The movie's opening was a success as it was budgeted at $34 million. The strong response was due to the popularity of the novel and the established fan base as well as the good reviews. "The Maze Runner" opening follows the success of the YA adaptation "Divergent." 20th Century Fox has already announced the sequel, which is slated to hit theaters next year. With no other science fiction films slated for release in the next few weeks, expect this film to end its run near the $100 million mark.
In second place, "A Walk Among the Tombstones" made an estimated $13 million. The Liam Neeson starrer underperformed based on the actor's recent hits "Non-Stop" and the "Taken" series. However, those films were PG-13 in comparison to "A Walk Among the Tombstones," which was rated R. Additionally this new film was darker and was marketed as a generic crime drama. With "The Equalizer" coming out next weekend and "Gone Girl" the week after, the Neeson starrer faces direct competition and will likely struggle over the next weeks.
In third place the Shawn Levy dramedy, "This is Where I Leave You" debuted with a weak $11.9 million. Starring Jason Bateman, Jane Fonda and Tina Fey, the movie was marketed on its all-star cast. However, bad reviews and the lack of a clear tone in its trailers dissuaded audiences from attending the film. It also did not help that word-of-mouth out of the Toronto Film Festival, where it had its world premiere, was not strong.
In fourth place, "No Good Deed" made another $10.2 million and brought its total to $40 million. The feature is on its way to making a solid $55 million by the end of its run.
"Dolphin Tale 2" scored $9 million in its second weekend. Off 43 percent from its opening, the family drama has now scored $27 million. The sequel is still $10 million behind the original installment at this point and is likely to end its theatrical run with $40 million. That would be $40 million behind the original installment.
In sixth place, "Guardians of the Galaxy" brought another $5.2 million and continued its success. The feature has now made $313 million and has now become the fourth highest grossing Marvel movie. It will likely end its run with $330 million and surpass the original "Iron Man," which made $318 million.
In art house cinemas "The Drop" expanded into 1,192 theaters and fell 50 percent from its opening weekend. The feature made $2 million and has thus far only brought in $7.6 million. The Fox Searchlight crime drama has scored rave reviews, but has been unsuccessful in getting audiences to cinemas.
A24 failed to ignite audiences with "Tusk." In 806 theaters, the horror feature only made $886,000 for a per theater average of $1,472. The total marks the distributor's latest failure. Back in the summer, A24 widely released "The Rover" and only generated $481,000. It is unlikely A24 will expand the feature into more theaters. With more competition on its way, the Kevin Smith feature will likely be out of theaters in the next few weeks.
In 49 theaters, "The Skeleton Twins" brought in another $448,000 in its second weekend. The Roadside Attractions Comedy has made $950,000 and will expand nationwide next week. With good reviews and strong word-of-mouth, expect this film to be a breakout.
In its second weekend "The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby" failed to live up to its promise. In 136 theaters, the Weinstein Company release only grossed $170,000. The feature has only made $260,000 in two weeks, and it looks like the film will end its run sooner than expected.
The company also had a disappointing debut with the Mia Wasikowska starrer "Tracks." The feature only made $21,600 in four theaters. Despite the good reviews and festival buzz, the company had a weak marketing campaign that lacked the awards buzz the feature initially promised.
Picturehouse also struggled with "The Guest." Even though the slasher had solid reviews and festival buzz, it only managed to make $82,100 in 19 theaters. The company will expand the feature hoping to see the same numbers that Adam Wingard's last feature "You're Next" obtained.
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