Mission: Impossible – Fallout climbs to the top!
Tom Cruise's daring secret agent returned for another assignment this weekend and MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT claimed first place at the box office with an estimated opening of $61.5 million!
The sixth mission of Ethan Hunt scored the best opening of the series so far (John Woo's often-derided MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE II was the previous champ with a $57.8 million start back in 2000, and remains the highest domestic gross with $215 million). Previous entry MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ROGUE NATION started with $55.5 million over this same weekend in 2015.
Cruise's latest death-defying exploits (his second impossible mission directed by Christopher McQuarrie) also marked the actor's second-best domestic debut, behind the $64.8 million opening of Steven Spielberg's WAR OF THE WORLDS in 2005.
The IMF team's new perilous stunt-packed objective, which brought back numerous familiar faces (including Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson and Ving Rhames), cost a reported $178 million.
The PG-13 globetrotting espionage thriller also pulled in $92 million from international audiences for a worldwide opening of $153.5 million. (ROGUE NATION went on to a global total of $682 million, while GHOST PROTOCOL finished with $694 worldwide in 2011.)
Critics cheered Cruise's continued commitment to entertaining at apparently any cost, giving the current mission a 97% average on Rotten Tomatoes (a high for the franchise). Check out the JoBlo review HERE.
Musical sequel MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN stayed in second place with $15 million, a 57% drop from last weekend's opening. The $75 million ABBA-saturated romantic-comedy has a ten-day domestic total of $70.4 million and a worldwide total of $167.2 million.
Denzel Washington's sequel THE EQUALIZER 2 slipped to third place with $14 million, losing 61% of business from its opening on top last week. Director Antoine Fuqua's second R-rated movie with Washington's ex-CIA vigilante has a ten-day domestic total of $64.2 million (on a $62 million reported cost).
In fourth place was the animated monster sequel HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 3: SUMMER VACATION with $12.3 million. After three weekends, the $80 million Adam Sandler creature feature has a domestic total of $119.2 million and $284.2 million worldwide.
Opening in fifth place was the animated TEEN TITANS GO! TO THE MOVIES with $10.5 million.
The PG-rated big-screen edition of the popular Cartoon Network TV series TEEN TITANS GO!, based on DC Comics characters, only cost a reported $10 million.
Critics seemed to enjoy hanging out with Robin and his young superhero friends, giving the adaptation a 90% average on Rotten Tomatoes (swing over to the JoBlo review HERE).
Marvel's ANT-MAN AND THE WASP was in sixth place with $8.4 million. The sequel has a domestic total of $183.1 million after four weeks in release, passing the $180 million finish of the original ANT-MAN (along with the $176.6 million finish of CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER and the $181 million total of the first THOR). The $170 million quantum adventure is up to $394 million worldwide.
In seventh was Pixar's INCREDIBLES 2 with $7.1 million. On its seventh weekend in theaters, the costumed sequel has reached a domestic total of $572.7 million and just short of $1 billion worldwide.
JURASSIC PARK: FALLEN KINGDOM was in eighth with $6.7 million, stomping to $397.5 million domestic and $1.23 billion globally. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's SKYCRAPER followed in ninth with $5.4 million (it's now at $225.7 million worldwide on a $125 million cost), and R-rated prequel THE FIRST PURGE closed things out in tenth.
Outside the chart, sci-fi comedy SORRY TO BOTHER YOU missed the list this week and internet horror movie UNFRIENDED: DARK WEB disappeared into the shadows after one weekend in the Top 10.
Next weekend offers the Mila Kunis/Kate McKinnon R-rated comedy THE SPY WHO DUMPED ME, Winnie the Pooh visits grown-up CHRISTOPHER ROBIN in Disney's animated/live-action hybrid, and kids get amazing abilities in the young-adult adaptation THE DARKEST MINDS.
Which August release are you most interested in seeing? VOTE HERE!
| # | MOVIE TITLE | WKND $ | TOTAL $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mission: Impossible - Fallout | $61.5 M | NEW |
| 2 | Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! | $15 M | $70.4 M |
| 3 | The Equalizer 2 | $14 M | $64.2 M |
| 4 | Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation | $12.3 M | $119.2 M |
| 5 | Teen Titans Go! To the Movies | $10.5 M | NEW |
| 6 | Incredibles 2 | $7.1 M | $572.7 M |
| 7 | Ant-Man and the Wasp | $8.4 M | $183.1 M |
| 8 | Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom | $6.7 M | $397.5 M |
| 9 | Skyscraper | $5.4 M | $59.1 M |
| 10 | The First Purge | $2.2 M | $65.4 M |