Suicide Squad blows up in a big way!
Some lesser-known villains of DC Comics stormed the multiplexes this weekend and put SUICIDE SQUAD on top at the box office with an estimated $135.1 million!
The bad guys beat up the box office record for biggest August opening weekend, shooting past the $94.3 million launch of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY in 2014.
Taking the role of assassin Deadshot for the movie also gave Will Smith his biggest opening, nearly doubling the $77.2 million start of I AM LEGEND in 2007.
For the latest round of live-action DC Comics adaptations, SUICIDE SQUAD's opening landed between MAN OF STEEL ($116.9 million) and this year's BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE ($166 million).
Director David Ayer's mission of unleashed super-felons, which cost a reported $175 million, has made an additional $132 million overseas (where it opened Wednesday) for a worldwide total of $267.1 million. Critics weren't kind to the PG-13 criminal carnage, giving the movie a current 26% average on Rotten Tomatoes.
Those costumed outlaws stole the action audience away from JASON BOURNE, who got knocked into second place with $22.7 million. Matt Damon's fourth time as the titular rogue operative lost 61% of business from its first-place opening last week, and has a 10-day domestic total of $103.4 million and a worldwide total of $195.3 million.
The R-rated comedy BAD MOMS held on to third place with $14.2 million, dropping only 40% from last weekend's opening for a $51 million 10-day domestic total (on a reported $20 million cost).
THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS kept its claws in fourth place with $11.5 million as the animated family feature from DESPICABLE ME creators Illumination Entertainment has sauntered past $500 million worldwide.
Gravity (or audience indifference) pulled STAR TREK BEYOND down the list from second to fifth place with $10.2 million for the weekend. The third entry in the rebooted series has a domestic total of $127.9 million, plus another $66.5 million from international territories (it expands further over the next few weeks).
The new Kevin Spacey-as-a-cat comedy NINE LIVES opened in sixth place with $6.5 million. The PG-rated movie from MEN IN BLACK series director Barry Sonnenfeld (!!) cost a reported $29 million and was neutered by critics with 4% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The horror movie LIGHTS OUT was in seventh with $6 million, bringing it to a worldwide total of $85 million on a production budget of $5 million. The thriller NERVE stayed in eighth place with $4.9 million, down 48% from its opening last week for a $26.8 million domestic total. The rebooted GHOSTBUSTERS and ICE AGE: COLLISION COURSE closed out the Top 10.
Outside the chart, FINDING DORY finally swam out of sight (with $870 million worldwide and counting) and THE LEGEND OF TARZAN returned to the jungle. In limited release, Woody Allen's CAFE SOCIETY added 66 more screens (now on 631 total) for another $1.7 million.
Next weekend brings the live-action update of Disney's PETE'S DRAGON along with some R-rated food antics in SAUSAGE PARTY and Meryl Streep as infamously bad singer FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS, while limited releases include the Chris Pine/Jeff Bridges modern Western HELL OR HIGH WATER and Mel Gibson as a violently protective dad in BLOOD FATHER.
What is your favorite live-action portrayal of a DC Comics character? VOTE HERE!
| # | MOVIE TITLE | WKND $ | TOTAL $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suicide Squad | $135.1 M | NEW |
| 2 | Jason Bourne | $22.7 M | $103.4 M |
| 3 | Bad Moms | $14.2 M | $51 M |
| 4 | The Secret Life of Pets | $11.5 M | $319.5 M |
| 5 | Star Trek Beyond | $10.2 M | $127.9 M |
| 6 | Lights Out | $6 M | $54.7 M |
| 7 | Nine Lives | $6.5 M | NEW |
| 8 | Nerve | $4.9 M | $26.8 M |
| 9 | Ghostbusters | $4.8 M | $116.7 M |
| 10 | Ice Age: Collision Course | $4.3 M | $53.5 M |