Star Trek Beyond warps into first!
Audiences wanted to take another journey with the crew of the Enterprise this weekend as STAR TREK BEYOND beamed to the top of the box office with an estimated $59.6 million!
The third entry in the rebooted Trek timeline had FAST & FURIOUS filmmaker Justin Lin taking command of the bridge from J.J. Abrams. But despite the fresh direction (and release during the 50th anniversary of the property), BEYOND still had the lowest debut in the new series behind STAR TREK's $75 million start in 2009 and the $70.1 million opening of STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS in 2013.
STAR TREK BEYOND, which cost a reported $185 million (nearly the production budget of INTO DARKNESS), also made an additional $30 million from overseas before it ventures further into international territories over the next month or so. Most critics were happy to be aboard with Kirk and company once more, giving it an 84% average on Rotten Tomatoes.
After two weekends on top, THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS stepped down to second with $29.3 million. With a domestic total of $260.7 million, the animated animals are the summer's third highest-grossing release behind FINDING DORY ($460 million) and CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR ($406 million).
Director Paul Feig's reboot of GHOSTBUSTERS dropped to third with $21.6 million, losing 53% from its opening last weekend for a 10-day domestic total of $86.8 million. The PG-13 comedy has also made $36 million overseas for a worldwide total of $122.8 million (on a reported $144 million cost).
The new horror movie LIGHTS OUT opened in fourth place with $21.6 million, already grossing more than four times its reported $5 million price tag. The creepy PG-13 nightmare fuel (produced by professional frightener James Wan) didn't scare away critics, who gave it 77% on Rotten Tomatoes.
ICE AGE: COLLISION COURSE trundled into fifth place with an opening of $21 million, less than half the $46.6 million start of the previous episode ICE AGE: CONTINENTAL DRIFT in 2012.
Although its domestic footprint may be minimal, the fifth adventure of animated prehistoric beasts (who started in 2002) has already made $200 million worldwide, which is where the series has generally done the majority of its business (CONTINENTAL DRIFT made $715 million from international territories).
On the bottom half of the chart, Pixar's FINDING DORY (now the ninth highest-grossing release in domestic history) managed to tread water in sixth to stay above THE LEGEND OF TARZAN, which slumped from third place down to seventh even as it reached $261 million worldwide.
The R-rated comedy MIKE AND DAVE NEED WEDDING DATES was in eighth with $4.4 million, and Dinesh D'Souza's latest political documentary/propaganda HILLARY'S AMERICA: THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY placed in ninth with $3.7 million after spreading from limited release to 1200 screens. The Bryan Cranston thriller THE INFILTRATOR closed out the list.
Outside the chart, we said goodbye to CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE, THE PURGE: ELECTION YEAR, INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE and THE BFG. In limited release, Woody Allen's CAFE SOCIETY expanded to 50 locations for a new $1.3 million domestic total.
Next weekend brings back Matt Damon as rogue espionage agent JASON BOURNE, while ladies engage in R-rated behavior for the comedy BAD MOMS and Dave Franco and Emma Roberts play a game in the thriller NERVE (on Wednesday).
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| # | MOVIE TITLE | WKND $ | TOTAL $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Star Trek Beyond | $59.6 M | NEW |
| 2 | The Secret Life of Pets | $29.3 M | $260.7 M |
| 3 | Ghostbusters | $21.6 M | $86.8 M |
| 4 | Lights Out | $21.6 M | NEW |
| 5 | Ice Age: Collision Course | $21 M | NEW |
| 6 | The Legend of Tarzan | $6.4 M | $115.8 M |
| 7 | Finding Dory | $7.2 M | $460.1 M |
| 8 | Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates | $4.4 M | $40.3 M |
| 9 | Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party | $3.7 M | $3.7 M |
| 10 | The Infiltrator | $3.2 M | $12.2 M |