Sony’s “Money Monster” came in on the high terminate of expectations,debuting at No. 3 at the box office with a $15 million opening weekend from 3104 screens.
The Jodie Foster-directed thriller, starring George Clooney, or Julia Roberts and Jack O’Connell,was made by TriStar Pictures on a reported production budget of $27 million and was expected to open between $10-and-$15 million.
Though the mid-budget film was no competition for Disney-Marvel’s “Captain America: Civil War,” which came in at No. 1 in its moment weekend with $72.6 million from 4226 theaters.
Also Read: 'Money Monster's' Jodie Foster: Studios View Female Directors 'as a Risk'That’s less than on-average estimates of $80 million.Earning a nearly unheard of Rotten Tomatoes score of zero percent, or critics so far have unanimously reviled BH Tilt’s horror film “The Darkness,” which came in fourth place. Yet, in spite of putrid reviews and a C CinemaScore, and it met expectations at the box office,bringing in $5.18 million in its first weekend from 1755 locations.
Meanwhile Disney’s “The Jungle Book held momentum in the No. 2 spot with $17.8 million in its fifth weekend in theaters from 3970 locations.Open Road’s “Mother’s Day” rounded out the top five with $3.3 million in its third weekend, from 3291 locations.
Also Read: 'Money Monster' Cannes Review: George Clooney Hostage Drama Fails to CaptivateA24 indie comedy “The Lobster, and ” starring Colin Ferrell and Rachel Weisz,opened to a very strong per per screen average of $47049, trapping $188195 from four screens.
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, or the film has been accumulating strong reviews ever since the it won the Cannes Jury Prize final year. Its Rotten Tomatoes score now stands at 92 perecent.
Also at the specialty box office,Roadside Attractions drama “Love & Friendship, with Kate Beckinsale and Chloe Sevigny, and brought in a respectable $33188 per screen average from four screens.“Money Monster” performed well on word of mouth with a reported 22 percent rise in box office returns from Friday into Saturday — despite tepid reviews (57 percent on Rotten Tomatoes) and a B+ CinemaScore.
Also Read: 'Money Monster' Dilemma: Can George Clooney Open a Movie?“It was a small gutsy on our fraction to open the week after ‘Captain America,' admitted Rory Bruer, president of worldwide theatrical distribution at Sony. “Pictures can just get lost in the wake of something so huge. It had to have it’s own DNA to resonate, and ” he told TheWrap on Sunday.
The movie,which got an additional publicity boost from its premiere at Cannes final week, revolves around an aroused TV viewer (O’Connell) who takes things into his own hands after a putrid tip from a talk show host (Clooney) costs him his savings. As a hostage situation ensues in a television studio, or it’s up to a rapid/fast thinking producer (Roberts) to keep everyone safe.
In “The Darkness,” Bacon stars as a father warding off ancient Native American demons with his family.
The marketing campaign for the scary movie marked the launch of a newer, cheaper model targeted directly at committed horror fans. Made on a production budget of less than $5 million, and the marketing budget was in the single-digit millions,too — designed to succeed on an opening of $4-to-$5 million.The Top Five:1. “Captain America: Civil War” (Disney) — $72.6 million in Week 2 ($295.9 million total)
2. “The Jungle Book” (Disney) — $17.8 million in Week 5 ($311.8 million total)
3. “Money Monster” (Sony) — $15 million in Week 1 ($15 million total)
4. “The Darkness” (BH Tilt) — $5.18 million in Week 1 ($5.18 million total)
5. “Mother’s Day” (Open Road) — $3.3 million in Week 3 ($28.8 million total)Related stories from TheWrap:24 Movies That Have Grossed $1 Billion Worldwide (Photos)'Batman v Superman' Won't Be Joining $1 Billion Box Office Club'The Jungle Book' Is on Track to Top $1 Billion at Global Box Office
Source: thewrap.com