Turtles Comes Out on Top in Theaters
Paramount Pictures’ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows topped the box office last weekend (June 3-5) with $35.31 million. Despite its first-place finish, the fantasy action sequel starring Megan Fox started 46.1 percent behind the opening of its 2014 prequel Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which opened in August when films generally open lower than they do in June. It also had the all-time worst opening weekend for a film opening in more than 4,000 theaters adjusted for inflation, below the the previous low of 2013’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2. In fact, adjusted for inflation, ShadowsTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and 1991’s sequel Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II. Shadows did at least start 45.6 percent higher than the $24.25 million opening weekend of 2007’s TMNT, the failed first attempt to reboot the franchise.
Twentieth Century Fox’s X-Men: Apocalypse took second place with $22.82 million, although the film took a sharp 65 percent second-weekend decline. The superhero sequel starring Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender and Oscar Isaac was down a sharp 65.3 percent from the previous weekend or 71.4 percent compared to the weekend’s four-day grosses including Memorial Day. The fall was larger than the second-weekend drops of 64.2 percent for 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past and 56.2 percent for 2011’s X-Men: First Class. Apocalypse has now earned $117.00 million through 10 days of release, which is 27.8 percent behind the $162.02 million 10-day start of Days of Future Past, but 19.4 percent better than the $98.02 million 10-day take of First Class.
Warner Bros. Pictures’ Me Before You finished third with a $18.27 million opening, but positive audience ratings should bode well for the film through the rest of June. Among recent romantic drama, this one starring Emilia Clarke and Sam Clafin, opened 44.4 percent higher than the $12.65 million start of last year’s Paper Towns and 40.4 percent above the $13.01 million opening of last year’s The Longest Ride. Me Before You even opened “only” 32.4 percent behind the $27.01 million opening of Terminator: Genisys, last summer’s attempted blockbuster also starring Game of Thrones’ Clarke.
Walt Disney Studios’ Alice Through the Looking Glass came in fourth place with $11.31 million, dropping 57.9 percent from the previous week’s three-day weekend and 66.3 percent from the four-day weekend. The fantasy sequel starring Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway and Mia Wasikowska was more than the 46.0 percent second-weekend decline of 2010’s prequel Alice in Wonderland. Looking Glass’ $51.40 million 10-day start is down a whopping 75.4 percent from the prequel’s $209.33 million 10-day take. Or, to put it another way, the original made more in its first two days than the sequel in its first 10 days.
The weekend’s other newcomer, Universal Pictures’ Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping tanked with a $4.69 million eighth place opening. The R-rated comedy starring Andy Samberg as a juvenile music sensation 65.5 percent below the $13.45 million opening of Samberg’s previous live-action wide release, 2012’s That’s My Boy, and 84.3 percent behind the $29.51 million start of 2011’s Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, the documentary the film parodies in its title.
In other box office news, Sony Pictures’ The Angry Birds Movie fell 58.4 percent compared to the three-day Memorial Day Weekend and 58.4 percent from the four-day weekend to take at $10.21 million. Disney’s Captain America: Civil War dropped 49.2 percent over the three-day period and 60.8 percent from the four-day weekend to make $7.83 million and widen its lead as the highest-grossing film of this year. Universal’s Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising dipped 74.1 percent from the three-day weekend and 57.5 percent from the four-day weekend to $4.86 million. Rounding out the top 10, Disney’s The Jungle Book slipped 37.2 percent from the three-day totals and 53.2 percent from the four-day weekend to $4.45 million, while Warner Bros.’ The Nice Guys dropped 47.1 percent from the three-day tally and 58.2 percent from the four-day weekend to $3.45 million.
Disney’s Zootopia fell out of the weekend top 10 for the first time since its release after spending 13 consecutive weeks in that tier, the most since Frozen spent 16 weeks there in 2013-14, as Zootopia slipped to 14th place last weekend with $753,723. Still, that sum helped it pass the billion-dollar global total, becoming only the second release of the year to do so after Disney’s fellow Captain America: Civil War. The film’s ability to make money this long after its March 4 theatrical debut is all the more impressive considering its DVD release is today.
Next weekend will see three new wide releases including Universal’s fantasy video game adaptation Warcraft, Lionsgate’s thriller sequel Now You See Me 2 and Warner Bros.’ horror sequel The Conjuring 2.
This Week | Last Week | Movie | Weekend Gross | Cumulative Gross | Weeks |
1 | N/A | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows | $35.32M | $35.32M | 1 |
2 | 1 | X-Men: Apocalypse | $22.83M | $117.00M | 2 |
3 | N/A | Me Before You | $18.72M | $18.72M | 1 |
4 | 2 | Alice Through the Looking Glass | $11.31M | $51.40M | 2 |
5 | 3 | The Angry Birds Movie | $10.21M | $87.12M | 3 |
6 | 4 | Captain America: Civil War | $7.83M | $389.18M | 5 |
7 | 5 | Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising | $4.86M | $48.72M | 3 |
8 | N/A | Popstar: Never Stop Popping | $4.70M | $4.70M | 1 |
9 | 6 | The Jungle Book | $4.45M | $347.67M | 8 |
10 | 7 | The Nice Guys | $3.45M | $23.62M | 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.