‘Suicide Squad’ Blows Away Records with $135M Opening
DC hasn’t been winning over critics with its last two superhero films. But just like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice earlier this year, Suicide Squad is yet another home run at the box office on opening weekend. The “worst heroes ever” broke records this weekend with an estimated $135.1 million start.
In many ways, Suicide Squad is very much like Batman v Superman with the fact that we have yet another polarizing film out of DC. Critics appeared to dislike the latest superhero film, which received a 26% on Rotten Tomatoes. That didn’t stop audiences from coming out in droves this weekend, especially since there hasn’t been a hit of this magnitude since Finding Dory in mid-June. Audiences were decently receptive as well with Suicide Squad, grading the film a B+ on CinemaScore.
On the plus side, Suicide Squad did upset Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy to claim the August record. Two summers ago, Guardians was one of Marvel’s most obscure properties and yet it became one of the breakout films of 2014 both critically and domestically. Suicide Squad is equally obscure for DC, but it probably won’t hold as well as the Marvel film. Despite a massive $135 million debut, it’s difficult to gauge at the moment whether Suicide Squad will crack $300 million domestic. We could be looking at another Batman v Superman situation where a 2x multiplier may be its max. If that happens, expect at least a $270 million finish.
After pulling in one of the best debuts for the franchise, Jason Bourne looks like it won’t be hanging with The Bourne Supermacy and The Bourne Ultimatum at the box office. Down an alarming 61.6% from last weekend, Jason Bourne is yet another example of a summer blockbuster struggling. It’s the same situation as Star Trek Beyond the previous week before. Originally, both films were projected to near $200 million domestic, but now it’s seeming more and more like a disappointing $150 million. This is steepest sophomore drop for any of the films in the franchise. Even the panned The Bourne Legacy only dropped 55.3% back in 2012.
Maintaining its spot from last weekend, Bad Moms pulled in another $14.2 million in its second weekend. With films dropping off left and right in their second weekend as of late, seeing Bad Moms hold it together is a good sign. With the exception of Central Intelligence in June, comedies haven’t really held their own this summer. Granted, Bad Moms will most likely miss the century mark in the long run. But even if it finishes above $80 million, that’s still a winner for the summer.
Also holding its ground a second week in a row is Illumination’s The Secret Life of Pets. The animated hit cracked $300 million earlier in the week and is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Down 38.9% from last weekend, Pets is still the go-to family film for the second half of summer. Expect it to pass Illumination’s own Minions in the coming week and possibly even take down Disney’s critically-acclaimed Zootopia by the end of summer. Remember, a Labor Day re-release could always help.
Rounding out the charts this week is Star Trek Beyond with $10.2 million. Down another 58.8% in its third weekend, Star Trek Beyond certainly doesn’t have the staying power the previous two J.J. Abrams films had. Perhaps the July release was not a great idea in the first place. But then again, this summer as a whole has done numbers on what should have been major tentpole hits. A finish around $150 million seems to be the most optimistic finish.
Note: These #’s are based on Sunday’s projections and can change with Monday’s actual #’s.
#1 – Suicide Squad (NR)
$135.1 million / $135.1 million total
#2 – Jason Bourne (1)
$22.7 million / $103.4 million total
#3 – Bad Moms (3)
$14.2 million / $51.1 million total
#4 – The Secret Life of Pets (4)
$11.6 million / $319.6 million total
#5 – Star Trek Beyond (2)
$10.2 million / $127.9 million total
Opening Next Week: Florence Foster Jenkins, Pete’s Dragon, Sausage Party
Source: Box Office Mojo
