Weekend Box Office Report: September 19-21, 2014

The Maze Runner finishes first!

The latest young-adult adaptation got off to a running start this weekend as THE MAZE RUNNER took the top spot at the box office with an estimated $32.5 million!

The first movie based on author James Dashner's post-apocalyptic novel series has also carried off an additional $49 million from international audiences for an $81.5 million global total (on a reasonable $34 million reported budget), a solid performance for a September release. Crowds appreciated their time in the labyrinth with an 'A-' CinemaScore, but critics were less enthused with the dystopian teen thriller (63% on Rotten Tomatoes).

Opening in second was the Liam Neeson crime drama A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES with $13.1 million. Based on writer Lawrence Block's books about private investigator Matthew Scudder (previously portrayed in 1982 by Jeff Bridges in 8 MILLION WAYS TO DIE), the movie's opening was quite a bit lower than Neeson's last time going after the bad guys — February's NON-STOP started with $28.8 million and went on to a $91.7 million domestic total and $202 million worldwide.

Neeson's latest only cost a reported $28 million to make, but moviegoers weren't really digging the dark revenge tale ('B-' CinemaScore) and critics gave it a grim 65% on Rotten Tomatoes, so it seems unlikely to launch a Scudder movie franchise.

In third place was the new R-rated comedy THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU with an opening of $11.8 million. The movie (also adapted from a novel) features a lot of familiar faces like Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Jane Fonda, Adam Driver and Rose Byrne, and  paying crowds enjoyed it more than the critics ('B+' CinemaScore and 43% on Rotten Tomatoes).

Falling to fourth was last weekend's winner NO GOOD DEED with $10.2 million, a drop of 57% from its opening. The home-invasion thriller was closely followed by DOLPHIN TALE 2 splashing in fith place with $9 million, down 43% from last week's opening.

In sixth was Marvel's GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY with $5.1 million, still holding strong in the Top 10 after two full months in theaters. James Gunn's assorted space heroes have now also passed both the domestic and worldwide totals of their fellow Marvel Cinematic Universe release IRON MAN 2.

LET'S BE COPS and TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES were in a pitched battle for seventh as the R-rated comedy has crossed $100 million worldwide and the reptile champions have sliced their way to $333 million globally. THE DROP hangs on to the chart as it added a few hundred more screens, with the Chloe Moretz young-adult melodrama IF I STAY sticking around in tenth.

If you're looking for Kevin Smith's new horror release TUSK, it opened far outside the Top 10 collecting $886k on 600 screens (with a lower per-screen average than GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY in its eighth weekend in theaters).

Outside the chart, THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY, THE GIVER and THE NOVEMBER MAN were shoved aside. Of the handful of new limited releases, the Nick Cave mockumentary 20,000 DAYS ON EARTH received the most attention with a $26k per-screen average.

Next weekend brings the stop-motion animated family movie THE BOXTROLLS, and Denzel Washington kills the bad people in THE EQUALIZER.

What is your favorite stop-motion animation? VOTE HERE!