Box Office: Girl Power! Women-led Features Dominate With The Fault In Our Stars Taking #1, Maleficent #2

Box Office, Columns, News, Top Story

Walk into a theater over the weekend and you were likely to have seen it populated by the female persuasion. On the heels of Maleficent‘s $70 million opening and Angelina Jolie’s lauded performance as the titular character, audiences were asked to choose between another Tom Cruise sci-fi vehicle or venture to an film adaptation of John Green’s best-selling The Fault in our Stars. Obviously, teenage girls and mothers familiar with the YA novel about teens dealing with cancer got a majority vote as Stars steamrolled past the star power of Jolie and Cruise to take first place with an estimated $48.2 million. Maleficent dropped to second with $33.5 million.

As for Tom Cruise’s >Edge of Tomorrow, his sci-fi Groundhog Day meets Gears of War had to settle for third with $29.1 million. Despite favorable reviews (if going by Consumer Reports-like 89% approval on RT, or 71 rating on Metacritic), the film didn’t debut to strong numbers on Friday and that all but sealed its fate for the weekend. Part of the blame has to go to the advertising that failed to deliver a compelling argument on why someone would want to spend money on a feature that finds itself in a continuous loop. The good news is that Cruise’s star appeal is not lost internationally. Foreign receipts have it grossing $111 million overseas.

It’s not that Cruise isn’t a draw anymore, but outside of his Mission: Impossible franchise, he’s been hit or miss in terms of projects succeeding. He may be solid in his performances, but some have felt burned in the past. Last year’s Oblivion (which opened at $37 million before finishing with $87 million), is a good example. I have a feeling that Edge of Tomorrow will find an audience, but it may not be in theaters. It seems destined to be an expensive cult classic.

Both X-Men: Days of Future Past and Godzilla are neck and neck in domestic earnings, each having earned $189 million and $185 million respectively thus far. While neither will match or exceed the numbers taken by Captain America: The First Avenger and The Lego Movie, sequels have already begun on both so all right with 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros.

As I told one friend last week, I bet Universal Studios is thankful on how well the Seth Rogen/Zac Efron comedy Neighbors has performed ($137.8 million in five weeks) if only to make up for the comedic turd that is A Million Ways to Die in the West ($30 million after two weeks). It’s as if someone decided to give Seth MacFarlane carte blanche after the success of Ted and make any film he wanted. Which is similar to Warner Bros. allowing Zack Snyder to make Sucker Punch after 300 and Watchmen.

Not counting his Grown Ups movies, Adam Sandler seems to be on the decline. Blended ($4 million this weekend) is a comedy that seems better suited for springtime as opposed to the thick of May around the likes of some of the movies already mentioned. Though, I will credit him for having the comedy only cost $40 million as opposed to the $70-$80 million they usually do. Is this an example of his production shingle, Happy Madison, being financially sound in 2014? Or maybe the puppy that lost its way has finally come home.

Rounding out the top ten are a pair of counterprogramming releases. In ninth is Jon Favreau’s Chef with $2.6 million, followed by Jon Hamm and Million Dollar Arm with $1.8 million.

For the forthcoming weekend expect a battle between kids and older teens as How to Train Your Dragon 2 matches up against 22 Jump Street. Which one will end up #1, or will The Fault in our Stars retake the top spot?


01. The Fault in our Stars – $48,200,000
02. Maleficent – $33,523,000 ($127,370,000)
03. Edge of Tomorrow – $29,105,000
04. X-Men: Days of Future Past – $14,700,000 ($189,101,000)
05. A Million Ways to Die in the West – $7,189,000 ($30,088,000)
06. Godzilla (2014) – $5,950,000 ($185,043,000)
07. Neighbors – $5,201,000 ($137,801,000)
08. Blended – $4,050,000 ($36,509,000)
09. Chef – $2,600,000 ($10,362,000)
10. Million Dollar Arm – $1,822,000 ($31,347,000)

Travis Leamons is one of the Inside Pulse Originals and currently holds the position of Managing Editor at Inside Pulse Movies. He's told that the position is his until he's dead or if "The Boss" can find somebody better. I expect the best and I give the best. Here's the beer. Here's the entertainment. Now have fun. That's an order!