Multiplexes across North America continued to resemble ghost towns this weekend, as Lionsgate’s The Hitman’s Bodyguard was the only film to do more than $10 million in business. The action comedy easily beat out fellow new arrival, Bleeker Street’s Logan Lucky, which was anything but fortunate in its dismal third place debut.
A 32% decrease in business from last year at this time led the movie business to have its second-worst weekend of the year, just behind the top ten during Super Bowl weekend in February. Business should continue to decline until Warner’s much-anticipated It kicks off the fall movie season on September 8th.
Launching in 3,377 theaters Friday, The Hitman’s Bodyguard scored an estimated $21.6 million in its first three days. Reviews were none too kind for the $29 million production, which stars Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson. Hitman’s Bodyguard earned a 39% approval rating from Rotten Tomatoes and a 50/100 from Metacritic. Viewers polled on CinemaScore were mixed on the film as well, giving the R-rated feature a “B+.”
In its second weekend, Warner/New Line’s Annabelle: Creation scared 56% less people in 3,542 venues to earn an estimated $15.5 million. The prequel’s estimated ten-day total is $64 million. Annabelle: Creation should finish with a solid $90 million in domestic sales. Overseas, the possessed dolly has taken in $96 million.
Four years ago, Steven Soderbergh announced he was retiring from directing theatrical films. That retirement proved to be short-lived, however, as the prolific filmmaker returned to theaters this weekend with his new heist comedy Logan Lucky. Starring Channing Tatum, Adam Driver and Daniel Craig, Logan Lucky was championed by critics –93% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 78/100 on Metacritic-, but largely ignored by filmgoers. The best the Bleeker Street Films release could muster from 3,031 screens was an inauspicious $8 million.
In fourth place was Warner’s Dunkirk, which earned an estimated $6.7 million from 3,271 theaters in its fifth weekend. Down 38%, the Christopher Nolan blockbuster has scored a big $165.5 million to date. Overseas, the World War II feature has brought home $227 million so far. The film has yet to open in China and Japan, which may help push the $100 million epic past the $500 million mark by the end of its global run.
Rounding out the top five was Open Road’s The Nut Job 2: Nutty By Nature with an estimated $6 million from 4,003 screens. Off only 29% from last weekend, the kiddie flick has earned $18.4 million so far. A final haul around $30 million is a possibility.
- The Emoji Movie (Sony) $4.35 million (-33%); $71.7 million
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (Sony/Marvel) $4.25 million (-29%); $314 million
- Girls Trip (Universal) $3.84 million (-41%); $103 million
- The Dark Tower (Sony) $3.7 million (-52%); $41.6 million
- Wind River (Weinstein) $3 million; $4.1 million
Taylor Sheridan’s new drama entered the top ten in its third week of release in a rollout similar to last summer’s Hell or High Water, which Sheridan wrote the screenplay for. That film went on to score a solid $27 million at the box office and several box office nominations including Best Picture.
Next weekend sees the arrival of the French animated feature Leap!, something called Birth of the Dragon and a religious flick called All Saints.
In other words, R.I.P. 2017 Summer Movie Season.
