At this timeyesterdayit looked like box office honors might go to eitherThe MartianorGoosebumps. The latter would seem to have the edge on the last weekend before Halloween but, as it turned out,The Martianwas destined for a comeback. TheRidley Scottdrama claimed an estimated $15.9 million (-25%) and its third first place title.
It’s not common for a film, once knocked out of the top spot, to make its way back so late in its run – but it does happen.Guardians of the Galaxyalso reclaimed first place in its fourth frame, as didThe Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, in 2005.How to Train Your Dragonrebounded in its fifth frame, after three weeks out of the spotlight. That putsThe Martianin some pretty rarified company but, based on box office grosses alone, it still trailsGravityby about 16%.
As forGoosebumps, last weekend’s number one movie was down 34% in its sophomore frame. That’s a strong hold that should have guaranteed another first place win had the PG-rated horror picopened a bit closer to initial expectations. One of this weekend’s best holds (along withThe Martianand the expansion ofSteve Jobs) belonged toBridge of Spies. On its second frame, the cold war drama was down just 26% for a ten-day total of $32.58 million.
After earning this year’s best per-theatre average two weeks ago,Steve Jobsis now playing nationwide. The Universal biopic expanded to 2,493 locations and claimed an estimated $7.27 million. That’s a 380% increase over last weekend, whenJobswas still in 60 theatres. Unfortunately, most projections had the Oscar hopeful closer to $12 million in its first wide frame, which makes this a disappointment despite the triple digit jump.
Fortunately, this weekend’s box office had more than enough disappointment to go around. First among the disheartened is Lionsgate’sThe Last Witch Hunter, starringVin Diesel. Coming off the blockbusterFurious 7, Diesel’s presence was expected to carryWitch Hunterto a first-place finish with over $15 million. Instead, the film earned an estimated $10.8 from 3,082 locations – the lowest debut for a Diesel wide-release since 2008’sBabylon A.D. Then again, yesterday it looked likeWitch Hunterwould come in lower than $10 million, so it could have been worse.
There was a time, not so long ago, when the pre-Halloween weekend was owned by theParanormal Activityfranchise. Beginning in 2010, withParanormal Activity 2, thePAseries took top honors at the box office for three consecutive years – reaching its zenith in 2011 whenParanormal Activity 3opened with $52.5 million. But as this weekend’sParanormal Activity: The Ghost Dimensionso aptly proves, that’s ancient history now.
Ghost Dimensionearned an estimated $8.2 million from 1,656 locations. That beats the $7.9 million the originalParanormal Activityclaimed on its third frame – though that was in just 160 locations at the time. The lastPAfeature,The Marked Ones, opened with $18.2 million in January 2014, but in much wider release. The plan with the sixthPAfeature was to offer a VOD option soon after its debut – the nightmare of many theatre operators.
If the box office consideredThe Last Witch HunterandPA6disappointments, there are no words to describe the openings ofRock the KasbahandJem and the Holograms. Don’t check the top ten chart. You won’t find these films there. At number 13 this weekend, Open Road’sRock the Kasbah, withBill Murray, earned a reported $1.5 million from 2,012 locations. That’s an all-time low for both studio and star, based on theatre count. It’s also the fifth worst debut ever for a movie in at least 2,000 venues.
Coincidentally,Jem and the Hologramsnow ranks one place aboveKasbahon the very same chart. Based on the Hasbro dolls of the 1980s (and the animated TV series that sold them) the Universal-distributed live-action pic came in at number 15 this weekend, earning an estimated $1.32 million from 2,413 locations. In another coincidence,Jem and the Hologramswas produced byJason Blum, the horror impresario who rose to prominence thanks to theParanormal Activityfranchise. Known as the producer that turns low budgets into big profits (most recently withThe Visit), Blum has the distinction of being associated with two of this weekend’s four potential flops.
Overall box office grosses were down 10% from 2014, whenOuija(another Hasbro/Jason Blum/Universal release) was on top with $19.8 million. With Halloween taking next Saturday largely out of play, expect another depressing frame next weekend. None the three new releases (Burnt,Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse,Our Brand is Crisis) is expected to hit $10 million, so maybeThe Martiancan get comfy for a while? We’ll let you know what happens.
The Martian
$15,900,000
Goosebumps
$15,500,000
Bridge of Spies
$11,365,000
The Last Witch Hunter
$10,825,000
Hotel Transylvania 2
$9,000,000
Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension
$8,200,000
Steve Jobs
$7,270,000
Crimson Peak
$5,560,000
The Intern
$3,855,000
$2,950,000
