1. Blade Runner 2049 (review)- $31.5M
I'm going to run counter to some of the other analysts out there who have proclaimed Blade Runner 2049 a flop. The $31.5M debut isn't ideal for the $150M sequel to Ridley Scott's 1982 classic, but it's hardly a deathknell. The film had an uphill climb for sure: it's too long, the R-rating limits the audience, and it's a sequel to a movie that only matters to die-hard sci-fi fans. But the reviews have been incredible, and there isn't a lot coming out over the next few weeks so it may have a decent theatrical stretch run. Plus, Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling will command strong box office overseas. And no matter what happens, Blade Runner 2049 is going to be discussed for decades just like its predecessor, so no matter what it will always be in the public consciousness and a key film in Hollywood history.
2. The Mountain Between Us (review)- $10.1M
Only $10.1M worth of audiences were willing to pay to see Idris Elba and Kate Winslet make out in survival romance drama, The Mountain Between Us. The film's opening isn't great, and it's pretty confusing since we're always hearing that adult audiences want more movies geared towards them. Well...here ya go. Why didn't you support it? This is another one that will probably do better overseas, anyway.
3. It- $9.6M/$304.9M
4. My Little Pony: The Movie (review)- $8.8M
The problem with making a film that is geared towards a very specific audience is that they're usually the only ones that show up. My Little Pony: The Movie is dealing with that right now after an $8.8M opening weekend. The film is based on the wildly popular My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic series, which has spawned subgroups of fanatical followers, all of whom likely showed up this weekend and will purchase Blurays and toys. But there's simply not enough of a draw if you don't know what an Applejack is from a Twilight Princess. I certainly didn't when I attended the screening, but found the story enjoyable enough to recommend.
5. Kingsman: The Golden Circle- $8.1M/$79.9M
6. American Made- $8M/$30.4M
Tom Cruise's American Made, which is a great movie by the way, earned $8M and has $30M domestic after two weeks. That's not awesome by any means, but the $50M drug smuggling flick has $98M worldwide so it's doing okay.
7. The LEGO Ninjago Movie- $6.7M/$43.8M
8. Victoria and Abdul- $4.1M/$5.9M
9. Flatliners- $3.8M/$12.3M
10. Battle of the Sexes- $2.4M/$7.6M
Of note is the $38K per site average for Sean Parker's The Florida Project, which I'll have a review of on Monday. It opened at only four locations and expands next week, but I can say that it's one of the year's best movies. The growing buzz for this one may make it a sleeper Oscar contender, or at the very least a huge box office success. Parker's last film was the much-ballyhooed transgender comedy Tangerine, which the director filmed on an IPhone.
