Matt Damon Strikes Back This Weekend in ‘Jason Bourne’
As the fifth installment, Jason Bourne continues to perform on par with the previous Bourne films, debuting with an estimated $60 million weekend. The only film in the franchise it’s trailing is 2007’s The Bourne Ultimatum ($69.3 million).
It’s been four years since The Bourne Legacy vastly underperformed at the box office. But now Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass are back with a vengeance to get the franchise back on track. It might be easier said than done as critics have been mixed on the latest film, scoring a 56% on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite opening at $60 million, it may be difficult to maintain the momentum need to push Jason Bourne to $200 million. We could be looking at the same situation with Star Trek Beyond (discussed a little further down), where its legs might not be as strong this time around. Counting for inflation, Jason Bourne would now trail 2004’s The Bourne Supremacy in its opening. With Suicide Squad expected to dominate theaters next weekend, Bourne could fall much harder than the original trilogy.
In its second weekend, Star Trek Beyond continues to do the complete opposite of going beyond. Down 59.5% from last weekend, Star Trek Beyond grossed another $24 million, bring its 10-day total to $105.7 million. The sophomore drop is much steeper than the previous two installments. Star Trek dipped 42.7% in 2009, while Star Trek Into Darkness declined slightly more with 46.9%. $200 million is definitely out of range for the Paramount sequel as Beyond may have to settle for just over $150 million. Once again, summer is not being kind to the major players in release. We’ve seen this trend countless times this summer minus a few exceptions.
Debuting in third place this weekend is the Christina Applegate, Kristen Bell comedy, Bad Moms with $23.4 million. Compared to other comedies out this year, Bad Moms boasted the third biggest debut, only behind Central Intelligence ($35.5 million) and Ride Along 2 ($35.2 million). It’s a solid debut for studio STX, which even leaped ahead of franchise sequels such as Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising ($21.8 million) and Barbershop: The Next Cut ($20.2 million). If it behaves like the other comedies listed, $60 million shouldn’t be a problem.
Down two spots from last weekend, Universal’s The Secret Life of Pets pulled in the best drop in the Top 10 this weekend, only down 39%. With another $18 million in the bank, Pets is right on the cusp of $300 million. It will undoubtedly crack that milestone later in the week. When that happens, 2016 will officially have three $300 million animated hits, joining Zootopia and Finding Dory. And we’re not even done with animation this year as Disney’s Moana opens this Thanksgiving. It’s still up in the air if Pets will pass at least Zootopia or Universal’s own Minions domestically. A Labor Day re-release could certainly push the animated blockbuster over.
Rounding out the charts this weekend is horror film Lights Out with another $10.8 million in its second weekend. After a surprising $21 million debut last weekend, Lights Out is one of the few films this summer to perform better than expected. In fact, the James Wan produced film, only dropped 50.2% this weekend. For horror films, any number around 50% is outstanding, given the fast burn at the box office. Earlier this summer, The Conjuring 2, which debuted almost twice as high fell over 63% its second frame. While a 3X multiplier will still be difficult to attain, Lights Out could still finish its run north of $60 million.
Note: These #’s are based on Sunday’s projections and can change with Monday’s actual #’s.
#1 – Jason Bourne (NR)
$60.0 million / $60.0 million total
#2 – Star Trek Beyond (1)
$24.0 million / $105.7 million total
#3 – Bad Moms (NR)
$23.4 million / $23.4 million total
#4 – The Secret Life of Pets (2)
$18.2 million / $296.2 million total
#5 – Lights Out (3)
$10.8 million / $42.9 million total
Opening Next Week: Suicide Squad
Source: Box Office Mojo
