Marvel’s Phase Two once again breaks new records. The studio’s latest film, Captain America: The Winter Soldier scored an estimated $96.2 million from Friday to Sunday for the best April opening to date.
Last week’s biblical leader, Noah and young adult adaptation, Divergent, both dipped one spot to second and third place respectively. Noah pulled in another $17 million in its sophomore frame, bringing its 10-day total to over $72 million. Divergent grossed $13 million for a $114 million cume.
Hanging in the Top 5 for a third consecutive week, faith film God’s Not Dead claimed fourth place with $7.7 million. Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel cracked the charts after weeks in limited release. In fifth place, Budapest made another $6.3 million.
Note: These #’s are based on Sunday’s projections and can change with Monday’s actual #’s.
#1 – Captain America: The Winter Soldier (NR)
$96.2 million / $96.2 million total
Chalk up one more record for Marvel Studios – best April opening weekend. Captain America: The Winter Soldier not only outperformed its 2011 predecessor by over $30 million opening weekend, but previous April record holder Fast Five by $10 million. With a month to go until The Amazing Spider-Man 2 hits theaters, Winter Soldier will be the must-see action ticket for several weeks. $200 million will be no problem.
#2 – Noah (1)
$17.0 million / $72.3 million total
Noah dropped 61% from last weekend, but a steep decline like that won’t stop Russell Crowe from yet another $100 million film. The biblical disaster drama should hit the century in the coming weeks. It’s already outperforming Crowe’s 2010 film, Robin Hood, which just squeaked past $100 million. Noah can still become Darren Aronofsky’s top-grossing film domestically. Black Swan pulled in over $106 million in 2010.
#3 – Divergent (2)
$13.0 million / $114.0 million total
Divergent entered the weekend, just reaching the century mark. Now up to nearly $115 million, Divergent is already the top grosser for the month of March and is expected to become second overall for 2014. That is until next weekend and Captain America claim yet another powerhouse haul. Divergent will have difficulty cracking $150 million at its current rate with the upcoming slew of big releases.
#4 – God’s Not Dead (5)
$7.7 million / $32.5 million total
God’s Not Dead won’t die. In fact, the faith film is climbing up the ranks. In its third weekend, G0d’s Not Dead has pulled in nearly $33 million in nearly 1,800 theaters. With Easter on the horizon, expect faith demographics to continue flocking to the film. But with several wide releases hitting theaters next weekend, God’s Not Dead should fall out of the Top 5.
#5 – The Grand Budapest Hotel (6)
$6.3 million / $33.4 million total
Like God’s Not Dead, Wes Anderson’s latest film The Grand Budapest Hotel continues to expand into more theaters. Now in 1,263 theaters, Budapest has been finally able to crack the Top 5 charts. Budapest will need a bit more love (just under $20 million) to become Anderson’s top grossing film. Currently, that would be 2001’s The Royal Tenenbaums. It’s surely possible, especially with the high praise Budapest has received.
Opening Next Week: Rio 2, Draft Day, Oculus, Joe (limited), Only Lovers Left Alive (limited), The Railway Man (limited)
Source: Box Office Mojo
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Matt Marshall is a YouTube movie reviewer who hosts MNMreviews. He has a B.A. in Communications/Journalism from St. John Fisher College and resides in Rochester, NY.