Weekend Box Office Report: July 4-6, 2014

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Transformers are First for the Fourth!

Everyone likes to see fireworks for the Fourth of July holiday, and not many can deliver explosive spectacle like Michael Bay, whose TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION is once again on top of the box office with $36.4 million!

Compared to last year when DESPICABLE ME 2 opened to $83.5 million, moviegoing was a bit slow in general over the Independence Day weekend (with a major storm making things especially soggy on the East Coast). Bay's grand-scale conflict of Autobots and Decepticons dropped 63% from its opening last week, but it was enough to defeat all new challengers as the latest TRANSFORMERS now tops $575 million worldwide after ten days in theaters.

Of the newcomers, the R-rated comedy TAMMY managed to make it to second place with $21.7 million, and a $32.9 million total since its Wednesday opening. Both opening figures are lower than star Melissa McCarthy's IDENTITY THIEF ($34.5 million) and her team-up with Sandra Bullock THE HEAT ($39.1 million) from last year.

THE HEAT went on to become one of last summer's surprise hits ($159 million), but although McCarthy's new road trip movie only cost around $20 million, it's unlikely to collect much word-of-mouth business considering the bashing it took from both critics (26% on Rotten Tomatoes) and paying customers ('C+' CinemaScore).

The new R-rated horror release DELIVER US FROM EVIL opened in third with $9.5 million, and $15 million since it started on Wednesday. The Eric Bana supernatural spooker from director Scott Derrickson (of Marvel's upcoming DOCTOR STRANGE) was exorcised by critics (32% at Rotten Tomatoes) and didn't really thrill audiences either ('B-' CinemaScore).

22 JUMP STREET was close behind with $9.4 million, still rocking after four weeks in theaters as it hits a $158.8 million domestic total to surpass NEIGHBORS' $148 million and become the biggest R-rated release of 2014 (it's up to a $228 million total worldwide).

Families took over the middle of the chart, with HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 in fifth with $8.7 million as it slowly climbs toward a $300 million worldwide total. Opening in sixth was the found-footage alien adventure EARTH TO ECHO with $8.2 million (and $13.5 million since Wednesday), despite the best critical reception of the new releases (51% at Rotten Tomatoes and an 'A-' CinemaScore). And Disney's MALEFICENT enchanted another $6.1 million as it reached $630 million worldwide.

After that, JERSEY BOYS, THINK LIKE A MAN TOO and EDGE OF TOMORROW close out the list. Outside the chart, THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST and CHEF exited the Top 10 while the new political documentary AMERICA from conservative filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza (2016: OBAMA'S AMERICA) opened on 1100 screens with $2.7 million, SNOWPIERCER rolled out to 250 screens for just shy of $1 million, and the Mark Ruffalo/Keira Knightley romace BEGIN AGAIN expanded to 175 locations for $1.3 million.

Next weekend only has one new wide release as the simians continue their domination in DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, and the drama BOYHOOD and the comedy A LONG WAY DOWN open in limited release.

Did you check out a movie over the July 4th holiday weekend? VOTE HERE!