Last Updated on August 2, 2021
Audiences go Home!
Moviegoers took a trip with an animated alien this weekend, putting HOME on top at the box office with an estimated $54 million!
The latest from Dreamworks Animation features voice work from Rihanna, Jim Parsons and Jennifer Lopez, and got off to a better start than their Thanksgiving release PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR, which opened with $35.4 million over that five-day holiday weekend. It also cleared the opening of the studio's HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2, which launched with $49.5 million last summer.
Based on Adam Rex's book "The True Meaning of Smekday" (a title apparently less commercially viable than HOME), the family-friendly feature arrived with a PG rating and a reported $135 million cost, and has passed $100 million worldwide on its first weekend. Critics weren't entirely delighted with the extraterrestrial adventure (48% on Rotten Tomatoes), but crowds gave it an 'A' CinemaScore.
The weekend's other new release, the R-rated comedy GET HARD, opened in second with a solid $34.6 million. Despite drawing controversy for some of its content (and a rough 32% Rotten Tomatoes average from critics), the Will Ferrell/Kevin Hart pairing proved to be a strong box office performer for both stars. The raunchy farce cost a reported $40 million and received a 'B' CinemaScore from audiences.
Last weekend's winner THE DIVERGENT SERIES: INSURGENT dropped to third place with $22 million, down 58% from its opening. While the franchise will obviously never reach the peaks of fellow futuristic young-adult adaptation THE HUNGER GAMES, INSURGENT is up to $188 million worldwide after 10 days.
Disney's live-action CINDERELLA was in fourth place with $17.5 million as the princess has gathered $336 million globally. It was followed (appropriately) by IT FOLLOWS in fifth with $4 million after expanding onto 1200 screens thanks to a successful limited release. The low-budget supernatural suspense movie is a critical favorite with a current 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Things were dreary on the bottom half of the list, with KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE finally getting low on ammo in sixth with $3 million and RUN ALL NIGHT looking winded in seventh with $2.2 million. THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL, the religious melodrama DO YOU BELIEVE? and Sean Penn's action attempt THE GUNMAN closed out the Top 10.
Outside the chart, Will Smith's FOCUS, Neill Blomkamp's CHAPPIE and THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE OUT OF WATER all disappeared. In limited release, filmmaker Noah Baumbach's reunion with Ben Stiller, the comedy-drama WHILE WE'RE YOUNG, earned a strong $60k per-screen average.
Next weekend has the relentless vehicular series FURIOUS 7 wheeling into theaters, and the Helen Mirren drama WOMAN IN GOLD opens on 250 screens.
Which April release are you most interested in seeing? VOTE HERE!
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