Don’t Breathe Breathes Easy Over Labor Day
Over the extended Labor Day holiday weekend (Sept. 2-5), Sony Pictures’ horror thriller Don’t Breathe took the top spot at the box office for the second straight week with $19.71 million ($15.83 million 3-day total). Down 40.1 percent, the film had one of the highest percentage drops of any film last weekend, but managed to hold onto the top spot due its commanding opening the previous weekend, when it reigned with more than double the gross of its nearest competitor.
Don’t Breathe has earned $55.13 million through two weekends, impressive for a non-sequel horror movie, especially one released in August when many releases gross less. Among similar original horror movies in the past year, it is 19.6 percent ahead of the $42.87 million for July’s Lights Out and 20.4 percent ahead of the $42.56 million for last year’s The Visit through the same period.
Warner Bros. Pictures’ superhero movie Suicide Squad finished second with $12.69 million ($9.91 million/3-day). Down a slight 19.1 percent, the film appears to have stabilized after 67 percent and 52 percent drops in its second and third weekends, respectively. It’s now earned $311.33 million, which is 6.9 percent behind the $319.48 million for Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, 9.4 percent behind the $328.21 million for Deadpool and 23.6 percent behind the $389.17 million of Captain America: Civil War through the same period.
There was bad news for last weekend’s two new releases. Walt Disney Studios’ period drama The Light Between Oceans got off to a lackluster start after its pre-Oscar hype gave way to mixed reviews, with a $6.18 million ($4.77 million/3-day) opening. The movie stars Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander as a married couple living at a lighthouse on a remote island who raise a baby that washes ashore. It was hurt by its so-so reviews, especially since pre-release hype was that it might prove to be a top Oscar contender.
Twentieth Century Fox’s sci-fi drama Morgan had an even worse debut, opening in 17th place with $2.52 million ($2.01 million/3-day), one of the worst debuts ever for a film starting in more than 2,000 theaters. Starring Kate Mara and Paul Giamatti, it is about a child genetically created in a laboratory who develops and advances beyond all expectations.
There was better news for Lionsgate and CBS Films’ Western Hell or High Water, which cracked the top 10 after another theater expansion, finishing in eighth with a 25 percent increase to $5.86 million ($4.44 million/3-day). STX Entertainment’s Bad Moms, which earned $5.80 million ($4.77 million/3-day), become the 19th release this year to cross $100 million domestically. It is STX’s first domestic earner to pass that mark since the studio began just over a year ago.
Elsewhere, Illumination’s The Secret Life of Pets has now grossed over $358.5 million domestically with a weekend take of $4.81 million ($3.53 million/3-day), making it the eighth largest animated release of all-time, moving ahead of Pixar’s Inside Out. And Disney brought Finding Dory back into wide release and the film delivered $2.93 million ($2.06 million/3-day) as its domestic earings climb to near $482 million, widening its lead as the No.1 animated film of all time.
This Week | Last Week | Movie | Weekend Gross | Cumulative Gross | Weeks |
1 | 1 | Don’t Breathe | $19.71M | $55.13M | 2 |
2 | 2 | Suicide Squad | $12.68M | $300.10M | 5 |
3 | 3 | Kubo and the Two Strings | $8.76M | $36.63M | 3 |
4 | 6 | Pete’s Dragon | $8.50M | $66.25M | 4 |
5 | 4 | Sausage Party | $6.46M | $89.60M | 4 |
6 | N/A | The Light Between Oceans | $6.18M | $6.18M | 1 |
7 | 7 | War Dogs | $6.10M | $36.61M | 3 |
8 | N/A | Hell or High Water | $5.86M | $16.02M | 4 |
9 | 8 | Bad Moms | $5.80M | $103.59M | 6 |
10 | 5 | Mechanic: Resurrection | $5.68M | $15.83M | 2 |
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.