Newcomers struggled mightily at the box office this weekend, paving the way for holdovers to remain on top.
Returning to the #1 spot is Ridley Scott’s The Martian, which brought in $15.9 million in its fourth weekend. With a majority of the new releases being critically panned, this well-received sci-fi hit was just what moviegoers ordered for viewing. The film is now up to $166.3 million domestically, and an even more impressive $384.3 million worldwide.
Falling to second is last week’s champ, Goosebumps. The horror comedy made $15.5 million in its second weekend, which is a soft 34.4 percent drop from its debut. The film has received mostly positive reviews, and the source material is popular. So it remains an appealing option, especially for the family demographic. With Halloween happening next week, it should continue to post strong numbers. Goosebumps has now grossed $43.7 million in the States.
Repeating at #3 is Bridge of Spies with $11.3 million. The latest historical drama from Steven Spielberg also held well in its second weekend, as it only saw a 26.1 percent drop from its opening. With Bridge of Spies generating Oscar buzz and featuring the dream team of Spielberg and Tom Hanks, it’s no surprise that it remains the go-to option for adult moviegoers. It’s clearly not going to be a massive hit like some of the iconic director’s other projects, but it’s doing fine for itself at $32.5 million so far.
Opening in fourth is The Last Witch Hunter (read our review). The new starring vehicle for Vin Diesel was never expected to be a crossover smash similar to Furious 7, but Lionsgate has to be extremely disappointed with these results. The film managed a meager $10.8 million in its first three days, which is considerably below the projections analysts had going into the weekend. The actors involved may be talking about a sequel, but that project is unlikely to ever see the light of day.
The biggest culprit for this disappointing performance is most likely the negative reviews, which skewered the film as a plodding exercise that was unfit for Diesel’s talents as an action hero. Couple that with minimal buzz among moviegoers, The Last Witch Hunter was going to have an uphill climb to a respectable figure. Look for this one to slide down the charts fast, since interest is so low.
Rounding out the top five is Hotel Transylvania 2, which made $9 million over the weekend. Despite the presence of Goosebumps (which is going after a similar crowd), the animated sequel is still staying in strong and is now up to $148.2 million domestically.
The new horror film Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (read our review) flopped hard at sixth place with $8.2 million in its first three days. That is by far the lowest wide opening in the series’ history, as it’s more than $10 million below the debut for Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones. It’s no shocker that this didn’t become a hit. The franchise has been steadily losing audiences over the past few installments, to the point where there was almost no excitement for this new film. Also, thanks to a deal with Paramount and certain theater chains, The Ghost Dimension will be available on VOD soon, so there was no need to rush to the theater to check it out.
Danny Boyle’s biopic Steve Jobs (read our review) expanded nationwide this week and only managed a seventh place finish. The film brought in $7.2 million to raise its domestic total to $9.8 million. Even though this film was getting strong reviews and some awards buzz, the fact that it was the second Jobs biopic in two years (on the heels of 2013’s Jobs) didn’t help its commercial prospects. It’s clear mainstream audiences were not interested in seeing another take on the tech icon’s life so soon after the first one, even if the pedigree was a little more substantial. It ends Universal’s year-long box office heat check, but it should still be a player on the Oscar circuit.
At #8 is Crimson Peak, which made $5.5 million in its second weekend. That’s a decrease of 57.7 percent for the horror film, which is now up to $22.4 million.
Coming in #9 is The Intern with $3.8 million. The comedy has now made $64.7 million in the States.
Finishing off the top ten is Sicario. The crime drama grossed $2.9 million over the weekend to raise its domestic total to $39.3 million.
[NOTE: These are only weekend box office estimates — based on Friday and Saturday ticket sales coupled with adjusted expectations for Sunday. Official weekend box office results will be released on Monday, October 26 — at which time we’ll update this post with any changes.]
