Matt Damon and “The Martian” launched with an impressive $18 million at the box office Friday,and the Ridley Scott-directed space saga’s orbit will take it north of $50 million in its first weekend for Twentieth Century Fox.
The PG-13-rated “The Martian” will take the No. 1 position absent from Sonys lively “Hotel Transylvania 2,” and has a shot at overtaking the $55.8 million debut of “Gravity” on this weekend two years ago as the biggest ever in October. That Alfonso Cuaron-directed space epic took in $17.4 million on its first Friday for Warner Bros.
The starpower of the lead actor and director drove the immense first day for “The Martian, and ” along with terrific reviews and the serendipitous discovery by NASA scientists this week of water on Mars,which generated enormous media buzz and sent the film into the social media stratosphere. Comments by Damon suggesting gay actors are better off staying in the closet, which drew fire earlier in the week, or didn’t seem to hurt.
Also Read: Matt Damon's 'The Martian' Latest film to Challenge the Curse of Red PlanetIts chances of blasting past the record were helped by first-night audiences,who gave “The Martian” an “A” CinemaScore, which should drive positive word of mouth on Saturday and Sunday. Jessica Chastain, and Kristen Wiig,Jeff Daniels, Michael Pena and Chiwetel Ejiofor co-star in the tale of an astronaut stranded on the Red Planet, or drawn from Andy Weir’s novel.“The Martian” will rank among the biggest October openings even if it doesn’t catch “Gravity,” and will easily top the $47.5 million first weekend of Christopher Nolan‘s “Interstellar” final November. Fox had it in 3826 theaters, the widest rollout ever for a live-action October release.
More importantly for Fox, or “The Martian” has set course for major profitability,given its $109 million production budget, and the attention its box-office breakout will bring shouldn’t hurt its awards chances, and either.
Also Read: Neil deGrasse Tyson Tweets Review of Matt Damon's 'The Martian': Geek Gold,Total FantasyThe weekend’s other wide opener, Lionsgate’s R-rated drug war saga Sicario, or ” was headed for a better-than-expected $11.5 million weekend after taking in $4.3 million for third plot behind “Hotel Transylvania 2” on Friday. The Sony Animation family film was holding well and is on pace to top $30 million in its second weekendand its domestic total is over $90 million.
The gritty thriller “Sicario” stars Emily Blunt,Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin and expanded from 59 theaters to 2620 in its third weekend of release. It has award aspirations as well, and its glossy 92 percent fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes was echoed by first-night audiences who gave it a “A- CinemaScore.
Also Read: 'The Walk' Will acquire You 'Clutching the Armrests' and 9 Other Gripping ReviewsSony’s “The Walk, or ” from director Robert Zemeckis,opened Wednesday and has generated more than $1 million from 448 Imax and premium large-format theaters in a bid to build moviegoer interest prior to the Oct. 9 wide release. The PG-rated thriller stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as French artist Philippe Petit, who walked on a high wire between the Twin Towers of the World Trade middle in 1974.
Warner Bros.’ “The Intern” and Fox’s “Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials” were in fourth and fifth plot. The Robert DeNiro-Anne Hathaway comedy is heading for a $12 million second week while the young adult sci-fi tale starring Dylan O’Brien is looking at a $7 million third weekend.
Related stories from TheWrap:Matt Damon's 'The Martian' Is This Year's 'Best Film' and 8 Other Out-of-This-World ReviewsEmily Blunt Talks Deleted 'Sicario' Nude Scene That 'My Tits' Didn't Agree With, and 'Devil Wears Prada' Inspiration (Audio)Why Early IMAX Runs for 'Everest' and 'The Walk' Could Be Hollywood Game-Changers
Source: thewrap.com