Top 4 Hold Steady Over Holiday Weekend

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy took $22.91 million over the four-day weekend holiday (Aug. 29-Sept. 1) to lead the box office for a second weekend in a row. In the process, the blockbuster sci-fi superhero adaptation became the highest grossing release of 2014 thus far domestically. Guardians of the Galaxy has grossed $281.20 million through 32 days of release and will continue to distance itself from the $259.77 million take of its next nearest neighbor Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Over the four-day weekend, Guardians of the Galaxy was up 29 percent over the previous three-day weekend. The film grossed $17.08 million over the three-day period last weekend.

Guardians of the Galaxy held onto first place for the second weekend in a row, beating out two new releases. (Photo: Marvel)

While it didn’t have the greatest hold this weekend by Labor Day weekend standards, Paramount Pictures’ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles still held steady in second place over the four-day weekend with $15.62 million. The successful franchise re-launch was down 7 percent from the previous weekend’s three-day period. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles continues to exceed expectations with a 25-day take of $166.28 million. The film took in $11.92 million over the three-day weekend.

Warner Bros. Pictures’ If I Stay hung onto third place with a four-day take of $11.77 million. That represented a 25 percent decline from the previous weekend. If I Stay continues to perform towards the lower end of expectations with $32.33 million in 11 days. The film is performing well given its modest price tag The film grossed $9.31 million over the three-day period.

Let’s Be Cops placed in fourth with a four-day gross of $10.37 million. 20th Century Fox’s low-budget action comedy was down a solid 4 percent from the previous weekend. Let’s Be Cops surpassed the $50 million mark last weekend and is now on the verge of reaching the $60 million mark with a 20-day take of $59.49 million. The film took in $8.29 million over the three-day period.

Universal Pictures’ As Above/So Below debuted in fifth place over the four-day weekend with $10.28 million. The low-budget horror film opened on the low end of pre-release expectations. As Above/So Below took in $8.63 million over the three-day weekend.

The November Man opened in sixth with a four-day take of $10.11 million. There is a history of new films aimed at adults over-performing during Labor Day weekend, but Relativity Media’s action thriller starring Pierce Brosnan opened in line with expectations. The six-day total for The November Man stands at $11.79 million. The November Man grossed $7.91 million over the three-day weekend.