Neighbors Moves Into Spider-Man 2’s Spot
Universal Pictures’ Neighbors broke out last weekend with a first place debut of $49.03 million. The comedy starring Seth Rogen, Zac Efron and Rose Byrne had been widely expected to find itself in a close battle for first place with The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but Neighbors ultimately won last weekend’s (May 9-11) Universal Pictures’ Neighbors broke out last weekend with a first place debut of $49.03 million. The comedy starring Seth Rogen, Zac Efron and Rose Byrne had been widely expected to find itself in a close battle for first place with The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but Neighbors ultimately won last weekend’s box office battle with ease.box office battle with ease. Neighbors delivered the largest live-action opening weekend performances ever for both Rogen (whose previous high-mark was the $33.53 million start of 2011’s The Green Hornet) and Efron (whose previous best was the $42.03 million launch of 2008’s High School Musical 3). Neighbors generated the fifth largest opening weekend of 2014 to date and marks another strong performer for Universal thus far in 2014 (joining Ride Along, Lone Survivor and Non-Stop).
Sony Pictures’ The Amazing Spider-Man 2 took second place with $35.50 million. The expensive 3D superhero sequel fell 61.2 percent from its opening weekend’s performance. With a 10-day take of $146.20 million, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 continues to perform on the low end of expectations. It is likely to continue to fall off quickly next weekend when Warner Bros. Pictures’ highly anticipated Godzilla opens in theaters.
Turning towards the weekend’s other new wide releases, neither Moms’ Night Out nor Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return was able to make an impact at the box office. Sony’s Moms’ Night Out debuted in seventh place with $4.31 million. Despite strong pre-sales, the low-budget comedy from TriStar aimed at faith-based audiences opened slightly below its modest expectations. Opening in only 1,044 locations last weekend didn’t help the film.
Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return opened in eighth place with $3.72 million. Despite decent pre-release tracking and the relatively empty marketplace for family fare, the 3D computer animated film from new distributor Clarius Entertainment debuted below its modest expectations. It will have a tough time keeping screens going forward after last weekend’s soft start.
20th Century Fox’s The Other Woman claimed third place last weekend with $9.61 million. The comedy starring Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann and Kate Upton was down 33 percent from the previous weekend. That represented a very solid weekend hold, especially when considering the new competition the film faced from Neighbors. The Other Woman was helped out a bit last weekend by the Mother’s Day holiday. The Other Woman continues to exceed expectations with a 17-day take of $62.09 million.
Heaven is for Real held up very nicely over the weekend with a fourth place take of $7.48 million. The break-out faith-based drama from Sony was down a slim 13 percent from te previous weekend, thanks in part to continued strong word of mouth and the Mother’s Day holiday. The 26-day total for Heaven is for Real stands at an impressive $75.70 million.
This Week | Last Week | Movie | Weekend Gross | Cumulative Gross | Weeks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | N/A | Neighbors | $49.03M | $49.03M | 1 |
2 | 1 | The Amazing Spider-Man 2 | $35.50M | $146.20M | 2 |
3 | 2 | The Other Woman | $9.61M | $62.09M | 3 |
4 | 3 | Heaven Is for Real | $7.48M | $75.70M | 3 |
5 | 4 | Rio 2 | $7.71M | $106.58M | 4 |
6 | 4 | Captain America: The Winter Soldier | $5.75M | $245.13M | 6 |
7 | N/A | Mom’s Night Out | $4.31M | $4.31M | 1 |
8 | N/A | Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return | $3.72M | $3.72M | 1 |
9 | 7 | Divergent | $1.74M | $145.07M | 8 |
10 | 6 | Brick Mansions | $1.64M | $18.49M | 3 |
Editor-in-Chief Mark Heckathorn is a journalist, movie buff and foodie. He oversees DC on Heels editorial operations as well as strategic planning and staff development. Reach him with story ideas or suggestions at dcoheditor (at) gmail (dot) com.