Weekend box office: The Accountant easily takes the top spot
I wasn’t expecting much from Ben Affleck’s THE ACCOUNTANT, but the film managed to take the top spot at the weekend box office, greatly helped by a lack of competition. The film is flirting with a $25 million opening, which more than doubled the number from last week’s number one film, THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN. This is about where I would expect this kind of movie to open, but I have to admit I’m surprised that KEVIN HART: WHAT NOW didn’t do better. What Now will open around $12 million, but with the way everyone loves Kevin Hart and the way the guy does an endless amount of promotion, I thought he would have doubled that number. But watching standup comedy in a theater isn’t for everyone and Universal still made bank on the movie considering how inexpensive it is to make a standup comedy movie.
Next week should belong to Tom Cruise, with JACK REACHER: NEVER GO BACK. This will be an interesting film to follow since the original film opened with a very disappointing $15 million and didn’t even crack $100 million during it’s entire theatrical run. But the film cleaned up on home video sales and Cruise owns the international box office, so hence a sequel. My guess is that JACK REACHER: NEVER GO BACK will actually outperform the original since I always thought the original’s Christmas opening hurt the film. We also get OUIJA: THE ORIGIN OF EVIL and KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES opening up. I know it’s a general rule to not bet against a horror movie, but I still think Jack Reacher will take the top spot. Note: the numbers below will be updated as they become final.
1. The Accountant $24.6m
2. The Girl on the Train $12.9m
3. Kevin Hart: What Now $11.7m
4. Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children $8.4m
5. Deepwater Horizon $6.3m
6. Storks $5.8m
7. Magnificent Seven $5.1m
8. Middle School $4.2m
9. Sully $3.3m
10. Birth of a Nation $3.1m
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