Summer 2017 Success Begins with ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’
For the third consecutive year, the Marvel Cinematic Universe kicked off the summer box office with a bang. Its 15th installment, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 blew away the competition with an estimated $145 million opening weekend.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was a difficult film to project. Most Marvel sequels minus Avengers: Age of Ultron outperform their predecessors. And Guardians of the Galaxy would be no exception to the rule. Though not as critically-acclaimed as the 2014 breakout blockbusters, demand remained extremely high for the return of Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon and Baby Groot. Its $145 million debut is the fifth-best for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s only trailing The Avengers ($207.4 million), Avengers: Age of Ultron ($191.2 million), Captain America: Civil War ($179.1 million) and Iron Man 3 ($174.1 million). Guardians won’t have the benefit of a leggy August. So, expect a more frontloaded run. The summer box office crown hasn’t been decided quite yet.
After three weeks on top, Universal’s The Fate of the Furious slowed down immensely in its fourth weekend. The latest chapter in the street racing turned heist franchise pulled in another $8.5 million. Four weekends in, The Fate of the Furious made $207.1 million. Within a few days, it should be able to top Fast Five ($209.8 million). There’s just not enough in the tank to push it over Fast & Furious 6 ($238.7 million). Even $225 million seems difficult at this point.
DreamWorks Animation’s The Boss Baby jumped back up to third place. In its sixth weekend, the Alec Baldwin animated comedy grossed another $6.2 million. With the studio’s own Trolls in the rear-view mirror, The Boss Baby can certainly find its way to $170 million. The film currently stands at $156.7 million. Without any other family-friendly competition besides Guardians, The Boss Baby could roll through the next few weeks.
Dropping two spots from last weekend, Salma Hayek’s How to Be a Latin Lover danced its way to the fourth place spot. Down 57.2%, Latin Lover didn’t surprise audiences two weeks in a row. Though, a sophomore frame of $5.2 million and a $20.7 million cume isn’t too bad. The Pantelion production doesn’t have the legs the studio’s own Instructions Not Included had back in 2013. A finish around $30 million seems to be the most promising trajectory.
As The Circle and Baahubali 2: The Conclusion quickly dropped out of the top 5, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast climbed back into a prime position. In its eighth weekend, the critically-acclaimed Disney remake grossed $4.9 million. Down a stunning 27.6% from last weekend, Beauty has now totaled $487.6 million. That even tops the studio’s own Finding Dory ($486.3 million) from last summer. Disney is well-aware that $500 million is back within reach. A finish like Alice in Wonderland stops the fairy-tale short at $494 million. However, a more leggy finish along the lines of last year’s The Jungle Book can push the film over $504 million. The next two weekends will be very telling for this photo-finish.
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 opened a few million short of my Thursday prediction.
Note: These #’s are based on Sunday’s projections and can change with Monday’s actual #’s.
#1 – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (NR)
$145.0 million / $145.0 million total
#2 – The Fate of the Furious (1)
$8.5 million / $207.1 million total
#3 – The Boss Baby (4)
$6.2 million / $156.7 million total
#4 – How to Be a Latin Lover (2)
$5.2 million / $20.7 million total
#5 – Beauty and the Beast (6)
$4.9 million / $487.6 million total
Opening Next Week: King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Snatched
Source: Box Office Mojo
