Weekend box office: Star Trek is #1 but Lights Out surprises
People seem a little concerned that STAR TREK BEYOND didn’t do as well at the weekend box office as STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS, but I think everyone is looking at this wrong. Beyond is on pace to open with around $56 million and that’s right where a Star Trek film should be targeting. Yes, Darkness opened with $70 million, but it was riding the excitement of the franchise reboot. Star Trek has always been a bit of a niche market, even as part of the larger Sci-fi genre, so anyone expecting the series to continue around $70 million might have had unfair expectations. That said, if the fourth film in the rebooted franchise dips under $50 million, Paramount might have reason to be concerned. Coming off their huge win at Comic-Con, Warner Bros. has to be feeling pretty good since their little horror film, LIGHTS OUT, should bring in about $20 million. The movie cost less than $5 million to make and has been getting a lot of good buzz, so it should be a nice money-maker for the studio.
Next week should easily belong to JASON BOURNE. Each of the three Matt Damon Bourne movies have grossed more with each installment, which means JASON BOURNE needs to beat $69 million. The film should easily take the top spot, but $69 million is a tall task, especially since it will be sharing some of its audience with STAR TREK BEYOND. Personally, JASON BOURNE was the only movie after Civil War that I was interested in seeing, but I can’t help but feel like Universal hasn’t done a good job of getting the buzz going. But I think the movie will be fine anyway. As far as counter programming goes, BAD MOMS is also opening, hoping to capture some of the audience that isn’t interested in another Bourne movie. Note: the numbers below will be updated as they become final.
1. Star Trek Beyond $56.2m
2. The Secret Life of Pets $28.6m
3. Lights Out $20.8m
4. Ghostbusters $20.6m
5. Ice Age: Collision Course $20.4m
6. Finding Dory $6.9m
7. The Legend of Tarzan $6m
8. Kabili $5m
9. Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates $4.2m
10. The Infiltrator $3.2m
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