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 The critically derided comedy finished up just behind Disney
and Marvel's "Ant-Man," which picked up first place and $24.8
million in its second weekend. That marks the weakest
chart-topping performance since April 24 when "Furious 7," then
in its fourth week of release, bested all challengers with $17.8
million. So far, "Ant-Man" has earned $106.1 million stateside.
The weekend box office race unfolded in the shadow of a shocking
act of violence after a gunman opened fire during a Thursday
night screening of "Trainwreck" in Louisiana, killing two women
and injuring nine people before turning the weapon on himself.
Safety concerns across the country may have caused some
consumers to steer clear of cinemas.
Among the weekend's other new releases, Fox's "Paper Towns"
picked up $12.5 million from 3,031 locations, while The
Weinstein Company's "Southpaw" snagged $16.5 million from 2,772
theaters. "Paper Towns" missed analysts' projections. Most
estimates had the latest tween romance from "Fault in Our Stars"
author John Green debuting to north of $20 million. With a
production budget of $12 million, it still stands to be
profitable, but the results seemed to puzzle the studio, which
thought it had a hit on its hands.
"I'm really somewhat mystified," said Chris Aronson, domestic
distribution chief at Fox. "It's something we're going to have
to look at and review on a post-mortem basis and find out why we
didn't get more people in."
"Southpaw," an uplifting boxing drama with Jake Gyllenhaal, did
better than expected, potentially setting the $25 million drama
up for a healthy run with those moviegoers who have grown weary
of dinosaurs and costumed heroes. The picture attracted a
diverse crowd that was 24% Latino, 21% African-American, and 60%
under the age of 35. The film's star was front and center, doing
interviews on everything from Fresh Air to Sports Center, while
recounting the physical transformation he underwent to
believably play a fighter.
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"Jake was everywhere and people responded to him," said Erik Lomis,
the Weinstein Company's distribution chief.
He predicted a long run, noting, "It appeals to the people on a mass
level and it's a very satisfying film."
In the case of "Pixels," the Sony release cost $88 million to
produce, a figure that is moderate by summer blockbuster standards,
and the studio touted its overseas performance. The picture has made
more than $25 million to date, Sony said. In the U.S., the opening
weekend crowd was 62% under the age of 25 and 55% male.
It ranks as another disappointment for Sandler. Four years ago, he
was perhaps the most consistent comedian in terms of box office
performance, fielding hits like "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and
Larry," "Grown Ups," and "Just Go With It." More recently, he has
struggled mightily - headlining flops and duds like "Blended" and
"That's My Boy." Only a sequel to "Grown Ups" and "Hotel
Transylvania," an animated film that only featured his voice, have
worked. He will now look to salvation in the form of a multi-picture
deal with Netflix.
Holdovers, "Minions" and "Trainwreck," picked up $22.1 million and
$17.3 million, pushing their totals to $261.6 million and $61.5
million, respectively. In milestone news, "Jurassic World" has now
blown past "Marvel's The Avengers" on the domestic all-time list,
becoming the third biggest film in history, when not adjusted for
inflation, with $623.8 million. It earned $6.9 million.
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