The Magnificent Seven ride high!
Audiences wanted to see Denzel Washington saddle up and gun down some villains this weekend, putting THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN at number one with an estimated opening of $35 million!
The Western remake marks the biggest debut for director Antoine Fuqua, narrowly besting the $34.1 million opening of THE EQUALIZER, the filmmaker's previous pairing with his leading man. Teaming Denzel with actor Chris Pratt as the charismatic right-hand man obviously didn't hurt matters, although it may be a while before anything defeats the $208 million opening of JURASSIC WORLD…
THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN also had the highest opening for a straight live-action Western (the sci-fi mashup COWBOYS & ALIENS started with $36.4 million and the animated RANGO had a $38 million opening).
The PG-13 update of the 1960 Yul Brynner/Steve McQueen Western (itself based on Akira Kurosawa's film SEVEN SAMURAI) cost a reported $90 million to make. Critics weren't overly excited to watch bandits meet bullets, giving the movie a 63% average on Rotten Tomatoes.
Opening in second place was the new animated movie STORKS with $21.8 million. The $70 million family comedy about infant-delivering birds comes from THE MUPPETS and NEIGHBORS director Nicholas Stoller, and features the voices of Jennifer Aniston and Andy Samberg. The movie didn't exactly soar with critics, who gave it an average of 63% on Rotten Tomatoes.
After landing in first place for two weekends, the Tom Hanks drama SULLY descended to third place with $13.8 million as director Clint Eastwood's $60 million movie climbs toward a $100 million domestic total.
In fourth place was Renee Zellweger's return in BRIDGET JONES'S BABY with $4.5 million, a drop of 47% from last weekend's opening. The $35 million third chapter in the romantic comedy series has a 10-day domestic total of $16.4 million, but it has already made an additional $67 million from international crowds.
Oliver Stone's fact-based espionage drama SNOWDEN came in fifth with $4.1 million, losing 48% from its opening last week for a 10-day total of $15.1 million.
The horror sequel BLAIR WITCH placed sixth with $3.9 million, scaring away 59% of business from last weekend's opening. The follow-up to the 1999 "found footage" smash THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT has a 10-day domestic total of $16.1 million (on a reported cost of $5 million).
The home-invasion horror movie DON'T BREATHE was in seventh with $3.8 million for a domestic total of $81.1 million after five weekends in theaters. It was followed by SUICIDE SQUAD in eighth with $3.1 million as the DC Comics supervillain team has endured in the Top 10 for two months now. Holding on at the bottom were the thriller WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS and Laika's animated fantasy KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS.
Outside the chart, Disney's PETE'S DRAGON flew away with the animated THE WILD LIFE, and the crime-drama HELL OR HIGH WATER once again just missed the list with a $1.1 million weekend. In limited release, the Lupita Nyong'o drama THE QUEEN OF KATWE opened with $305k on 52 screens.
Next weekend has director Tim Burton opening the doors of MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN, while Mark Wahlberg and Kurt Russell battle an exploding oil rig in DEEPWATER HORIZON, and Zach Galifianakis and Kristen Wiig try to pull off a heist in MASTERMINDS.
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| # | MOVIE TITLE | WKND $ | TOTAL $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Magnificent Seven | $35 M | NEW |
| 2 | Storks | $21.8 M | NEW |
| 3 | Sully | $13.8 M | $92.9 M |
| 4 | Bridget Jones's Baby | $4.5 M | $16.4 M |
| 5 | Snowden | $4.1 M | $15.1 M |
| 6 | Don't Breathe | $3.8 M | $81.1 M |
| 7 | Blair Witch | $3.9 M | $16.1 M |
| 8 | Suicide Squad | $3.1 M | $318.1 M |
| 9 | When the Bough Breaks | $2.5 M | $26.6 M |
| 10 | Kubo and the Two Strings | $1.1 M | $45.9 M |