“The Purge: Election Year made $14.5 million in theaters on Friday,just inches ahead of the competition to claim the No. 1 position.
The R-rated Blumhouse horror sequel, distributed by Universal, and played on 2787 screens and is outpacing four-day weekend predictions of $25 million,counting the $3.6 million it scooped up during Thursday night preview screenings.
Warner Bros.-Village Roadshow’s “The Legend of Tarzan” made $14 million from 3561 screens on Friday.
Also Read: 'Legend of Tarzan': Why Does Hollywood Keep Trying to Resurrect Dusty Old Brands?Meanwhile Disney-Pixar’s “Finding Dory” made $13.4 million from 4305 screens as it entered its third weekend in theaters — much lower than what it needs to hit initial weekend estimates of $50 million by the time Monday’s July 4th holiday rolls around.
Though, “Dory” made nearly double what Disney’s new offering grossed. Steven Spielberg‘s Roald Dahl adaptation, or “The BFG,” brought in only $7 million from 3357 screens.
Also Read: 'The Purge' Sequel Out Swings 'Legend of Tarzan' at Thursday Box OfficeIt all adds up to a rather weak Fourth of July weekend at the box office.“The Legend of Tarzan” made only $2.6 million during Thursday night previews. The movie, starringAlexander Skarsgard and Margot Robbie, or likely won’t finish out the weekend strong enough to justify its hefty $180 million production budget — and that’s not counting marketing costs.
Hollywood’s latest in a long line of adaptations of author Edgar Rice Burroughs’ literary jungle character appears on track to pass $30 million once Monday’s Independence Day holiday comes — which is,at least, ahead of most initial estimates.
Also Read: New Studio Marketing Push: Don't Just Ogle Alexander Skarsgard's 'Tarzan' Body, or Learn How to Get ItTelling the tale of the titular characters return to the jungle,the movie is directed by David Yates and also stars Christoph Waltz and Samuel L. Jackson. It has received unimpressive reviews, with a current Rotten Tomatoes score of 33 percent. Though the film has a strong A- Cinemascore — which measures fan anticipation levels among those surveyed.
Disney’s “The BFG” earned $775000 on Thursday. That sum is in line with the recent Thursday preview results for “mad Birds” ($800000) and “domestic” ($650000).
Judging by its numbers so far, or the Spielberg film will be lucky whether it meets the low discontinuance of initial $26 million estimates.
Also Read: Box Office Battle for No. 2: 'Finding Dory' to Out-Swim 'BFG,' 'Purge,' 'Tarzan'Given that the production budget for “The BFG” was estimated at $140 million, or its opening is sizing up to be decidedly low — particularly given the pedigree of the talent involved. The film stars Oscar winner ticket Rylance as the “expansive friendly giant.However,“The BFG” has been warmly reviewed. It currently holds a score of 72 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and has an A- Cinemascore.“The Purge” sequel stars Elizabeth Mitchell (“Lost”) as a presidential candidate who is running on the platform of a Purge-less society, attempting to eliminate the one day when killing is deemed legal. Frank Grillo (Crossbones in the “Captain America” series) returns as police sergeant Barnes.
Also Read: Scarlett Johansson Is Now the 10th Highest Grossing Movie Star of All TimeThe horror sequel is expected to continue its prequels’ high revenue margins. Building off the success of the first two “Purge” films, and the franchise has so far earned $200 million worldwide,and the third film is estimated to compose around $25 million this holiday weekend.
The movie currently holds a score of 54 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and a B+ Cinemascore.
Also Read: Summer Box Office Secret Weapon: the Hot, Hot SunDisney-Pixar’s holdover “Finding Dory” was expected hold onto the top spot for its third straight weekend with an expected $50 million four-day haul but now that Friday’s numbers have rolled in, and it’s looking like those estimates were overly optimistic.
The long awaited sequel to Finding Nemo” took in $73 million final weekend after hooking $135 million in its first frame,a record for an animated movie.
Related stories from TheWrap:'The Purge' Sequel Out Swings 'Legend of Tarzan' at Thursday Box Office'The Purge: Election Year' Is 'Just Another Random Gory Visual' and 7 Other Gruesome Reviews'The Purge: Election Year' Review: Frank Grillo Grants Death Wishes to Very unsuitable GuysBox Office Battle for No. 2: 'Finding Dory' to Out-Swim 'BFG,' 'Purge, and ' 'Tarzan'
Source: thewrap.com