By Chris Kavan - 07/06/15 at 12:33 AM CT
It is coming down to the wire in terms of the weekend but what is certain is that two strong holdovers, rather than two hot newcomers, are going to be on top for both the weekend and the July 4th holiday. Whatever the case, it helped Disney reach $3 billion at the worldwide box office and helped Jurassic World reach yet another milestone in record time. All told, it wasn't a record-setting weekend, but it was another strong effort and continues to push 2015 ahead of last year by a fair margin.
1) JURASSIC WORLD
It is looking like the mighty Jurassic World will once again take the weekend, though its hold is a bit shaky as Inside Out is breathing down its neck. If the numbers hold, Jurassic World should wind up with $30.9 million ($43.8 million for the five-day holiday frame) and pushing it across the $550 million mark in record time (24 days). With a total that now sits at $558.1 million, it's global total is now fifth all time, with $1.385 billion - topping this year's Avengers: Age of Ultron ($1.37 billion). The film is going to have little trouble reaching $600 million domestically, even with Minions on the horizon. In fact, at this point $650 million seems likely and it should continue to rise on the all-time total as well.
2)
INSIDE OUT
Once again, Pixar's versatile emotion had to settle for second place - though there is an outside chance the animated film ultimately winds up on top. As it stands, Inside Out is just below Jurassic World with $30.1 million. However, one thing is certain, the latest Pixar hit can claim it won the holiday five-day frame, taking in $45.3 million total. The well-received film has a total of $246.1 million and should top $250 million within a day or two. Even with Minions coming out next weekend - Inside Out is poised to earn over $300 million, which would make it the third-best Pixar film of all time, behind only Finding Nemo ($339.7 million) and Toy Story 3 ($415 million). Inside Out has helped Disney to a $3 billion total thus far and with plenty more films on the horizon (Ant-Man, another Pixar film in The Good Dinosaur and, of course, Star Wars: The Force Awakens), it looks like Disney is going to make record money for the year.
3)
TERMINATOR: GENISYS
With two huge films still battling it out, Terminator: Genisys had to settle for the scraps. The Terminator brand has found itself waning since the record-breaking performance of Terminator 2 (whose $204.8 million was enough to make it the third-highest grossing movie of all time back when it was released in 1991). Genisys could only muster $28.7 million for the weekend, and $44.1 million for the holiday frame. By comparison Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, which also opened over the July 4th holiday, made $73 million over the holiday ($44 million alone for the weekend). Even the rather maligned Terminator Salvation made $42.6 million in its opening weekend. It reported $155 million budget is going to have to be salvaged by international numbers - and its two planned sequels are also going to hinge on how it does overseas. One thing is for certain, the same brand of nostalgia that has driven Jurassic World to such heights couldn't support another franchise, and though it may be nice to see Arnold Schwartzenegger back in the role that made him famous, it's just not the same the second (or is this third or fourth?) time around. Genisys is likely to stall out at around $100 million.
4)
MAGIC MIKE XXL
Magic Mike XXL was always going to be driven by the female audience, but even so, the 96% female audience it brought in has to be close to record. It might also be the reason it fell so short of the original film. Magic Mike opened to $39 million on a $7 million budget in 2012. XXL managed just $11.6 million for the weekend and $27 million total for the holiday period. But it's not all bad news, the film did draw a respectable "A-" Cinemascore and, on a modest $14.8 million budget, it has already made back its budget and then some. Still, it was estimated at between $45 to $48 million for the holiday, so the total has to be a bit disappointing. None-the-less, XXL is going to make money but there's a good chance this is the last we've seen of this side of Channing Tatum (and friends). This film will likely top $50 million, but probably won't rise too much higher.
5)
TED 2
The raunchy comedy took a nasty tumble, losing a hefty 67.2% of its audience following a lackluster premiere. It managed $11 million for the weekend, and $17.3 million for the holiday. Ted 2 did cross the $50 million mark with a new $58.3 million total. Though the film is likely to cross the $75 million mark, even that is not a given at this point. One thing is pretty much for certain - this is probably the last foul-mouthed teddy bear we're going to be seeing on the big screen in a long time.
Outside the top five: The only film to gain any audience was Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, which did so by adding over 500 theaters to its count and gaining 33% compared to last weekend. It remained in 9th place, taking in $1.32 million for a new total of $4 million.
Next week, Minions invades along with the Ryan Reynolds / Ben Kingsley body-swapping sci-fi thriller Self/less and finally the horror film The Gallows. We'll see if Minions can take a bit out of the Inside Out pie and whether Jurassic World will finally be toppled from its perch.
Comments
