Labor Day weekend is typically one of the weekends each year where Hollywood collectively takes a break. As the summer season ends, studios look to ready themselves for fall with prestige pics for Oscar contention, genre releases for Halloween and family entrees for Thanksgiving and Christmas. So it’s understandable that the box office suffers as a result. The Light Between Oceans was the only newcomer in the top ten. It was thought to be an Oscar contender with its pedigree of Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander and writer-director Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine, The Place Beyond the Pines). But with so-so reviews and an estimated $4.98 million opening at 1500 locations, it looks to be an Oscar pretender.
Last week’s No. 1 and No. 2, Don’t Breathe and Suicide Squad, retain their positions. Fede Alvarez’s well-received thriller saw its audience dip only 40.6%, which is an incredible percentage for a horror release in its second weekend. It has currently earned $51.1 million vs. a budget of $9.9 million. Suicide Squad finishes its fifth weekend by added another $10 million to bring its domestic total to $297 million. By this time next week it will have become the eighth movie of 2016 to surpass $300 million.
Taking third, and jumping up three spots in the process, was Disney’s Pete’s Dragon with $6.47 million. Now once actuals come out it may drop No. 4, as Laika’s incredible Kubo and the Two Strings finished with $6.46 million – so they may flip-flop. Up one spot to No. & is STX Entertainment’s Bad Moms. What’s notable about this all-female comedy’s performance, which has gotten less press than the performance of the all-female led Ghostbusters, is that it has become STX’s first movie to surpass the $100 million mark. Not bad for a comedy with Mila Kunis, Kristin Bell, Kathryn Hahn, and Christina Applegate carrying a budget of $20 million. Up until the release of Bad Moms, STX’s most successful film was Joel Edgerton’s The Gift. It made $43.5 million last summer.
Jumping into the top ten at No. 9 is the best movie of the summer (possibly the year?), Hell or High Water, starring Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine and Ben Foster. With an additional 394 screens to bring its count to 1,303, the Texas-set crime drama brought in $4.5 million with a PTA of $3,454, which is the best PTA for a top ten release with the exception of first-place finisher Don’t Breathe.
Speaking of PTA, Lionsgate’s Spanish-language feature No Manches Frida (No. 12) opened at 362 theaters and averaged $10,083 per location on its way to a $3.65 million weekend. Compare that to Fox’s Morgan. The sci-fi thriller which marked Luke Scott’s (Ridley Scott’s son) feature debut dropped into 2,020 theaters but finished at No. 17 with $1.96 million. Its PTA was $970. Ouch.
Looking at the field of newcomers this weekend we have The Disappointments Room, Clint Eastwood’s Sully, When the Bough Breaks and the animated The Wild Life. Expect Sully to be your new No. 1 as older audiences storm the theaters early in the day so they can make the happy hour dinners at Denny’s and Golden Coral before calling it a night at 6:00 p.m.
The complete top ten below.
01. Don’t Breathe – $15.7 Million ($51.1m)
02. Suicide Squad – $10 Million ($297.4m)
03. Pete’s Dragon – $6.47 Million ($64.2m)
04. Kubo and the Two Strings – $6.46 Million ($34.3m)
05. Sausage Party – $5.3 Million ($88.4m)
06. The Light Between Oceans – $4.98 Million
07. Bad Moms – $4.74 Million ($102.5m)
08. War Dogs – $4.70 Million ($35.2m)
09. Hell or High Water – $4.5 Million ($14.6m)
10. Mechanic: Resurrection – $4.27 Million ($14.4m)
