Weekend Box Office Report: July 21-23, 2017

Dunkirk commands the lead!

Filmmaker Christopher Nolan's war effort DUNKIRK was the top draw at the box office this weekend with an estimated opening of $50.5 million!

That's a notch above the $47.5 million start of Nolan's previous movie INTERSTELLAR in November 2014. (Unsurprisingly, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES remains his best opening with $160.8 million — still the tenth-biggest domestic opening weekend.)

The new WWII drama (which cost either $150 million or less than a $100 million, depending on the source) made $11.7 million of its opening from IMAX theaters, the format often discussed and preferred by Nolan.

The PG-13 depiction of the sea/land/air evacuation also rescued an additional $55.4 million from overseas for a worldwide weekend of $105.9 million. Critics were mostly impressed with the emotional account, giving it an average of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes (the JoBlo review is HERE).

Opening in second place was the R-rated comedy GIRLS TRIP with $30.3 million.

The raucous New Orleans vacation with Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith and Tiffany Haddish only cost a reported $19 million.

The wild time in the Big Easy (from UNDERCOVER BROTHER director Malcolm D. Lee) was also enjoyed by the majority of critics, with 89% on Rotten Tomatoes. You can check out the JoBlo review HERE.

SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING was swinging in third place with $22 million, bringing Marvel's wall-crawler to a domestic total of $251.7 million on its third weekend. The web-head's solo entry in the MCU currently has a worldwide total of $571 million.

It was king of the jungle last week, but WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES dropped to fourth place with $20.4 million, losing 63% after its #1 opening. The PG-13 simian sequel from director Matt Reeves has a ten-day domestic total of $97.7 million, and has collected $174.8 million worldwide.

In fifth place was the new sci-fi epic VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS with an opening of $17 million.

Although filmmaker Luc Besson's previous release LUCY was a surprise hit ($126 million domestic after a $43 million start, and $463 million worldwide), his latest effort was considered a risk — it's based on a French comic that's virtually unknown in America, features no A-list stars, and cost around $200 million. But it may fare better when it opens overseas in the upcoming weeks (supposedly, Besson already covered most of the budget from foreign pre-sales).

Critics weren't particularly dazzled by Besson's alien-filled space adventure, giving it a 54% average on Rotten Tomatoes. The JoBlo review is HERE.

DESPICABLE ME 3 was in sixth place with $12.7 million, and Steve Carell's reformed villain is up to a domestic total of $213.3 million after a month in theaters. The Illumination Entertainment sequel is pulling in the bucks from international audiences, with a worldwide total of $727.4 million.

Edgar Wright's R-rated heist thriller BABY DRIVER was in seventh with $6 million, followed by Kumail Nanjiani's relationship comedy THE BIG SICK in eighth with $5 million for a $24.5 million domestic total after two weeks in wide release.

After two months of release, WONDER WOMAN has battled her way to becoming the highest-grossing domestic release of the summer (and is second only to BEAUTY AND THE BEAST for the year).

The weekend's $4.6 million brings Gal Gadot's Amazon warrior to a domestic total of $389 million, nudging past the $387.2 million total of comic rival Marvel's GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2. Director Patty Jenkins' origin story of the DC Comics character is also now the eight-biggest superhero movie in domestic history.

At the bottom of the list was the PG-13 horror movie WISH UPON with $2.4 million, down 54% from its opening last weekend.

Outside the chart, Pixar's CARS 3 drove toward the horizon along with Michael Bay's TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT and the Will Ferrell/Amy Poehler comedy THE HOUSE.

Next weekend finishes up July with Charlize Theron kicking ass in ATOMIC BLONDE, while smiley faces and poop come to animated life in THE EMOJI MOVIE.

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