Earlier this week, we predicted that it would be a close race between the two newbox office newcomerthis weekend, Sony’sThe Magnificent Sevenand Warner Bros.‘Storks, but that didn’t exactly happen.The Magnificent Seveneasily took the box office crown this weekend with an estimated $35 million, withStorksdebuting in second place with $21.8 million. Both new releases were critical hits as well, before performing well at the box office.
Box Office Mojoreports thatThe Magnificent Seven, the Western remake starringDenzel WashingtonandChris Pratt, pulled in an impressive $9,526 per-screen average from 3,674 theaters, along with a solid 63% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The remake was produced with a $90 million budget, but no international box office data has been released quite yet. Still this is a solid opening, which also represents a career best opening weekend for directorAntoine Fuqua. This film also marks the third time that the director has teamed up withDenzel Washington, following 2001’sTraining Dayand 2014’sThe Equalizer, with both the actor and director reuniting for a sequel to that movie.
Warner Bros.‘Storkswas also a critical hit with a 63% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Theanimated comedydebuted in 3,922 theaters, pulling in a decent $5,560 per-screen average. in its debut weekend.Storkswas produced under a $70 million budget, so it should have no trouble earning its budget back. The animated comedy also earned an additional $18.3 million in international markets, for a worldwide opening weekend total of $40.1 million
Sully, which took the top spot at the box office for the past two weeks in a row, dropped to third place with $13.8 million. The biopic starringTom Hanksonly dropped an impressive 37.5% in its second weekend, playing in 3,525 theaters, which was still the widest release of any movie that weekend. This weekend it only dropped 36.1%, bringing its domestic total to $92.3 million, with an addition $34.5 million from overseas territories for a worldwide total of $126.8 million from a $60 million budget. The movie should have no trouble crossing $100 million domestically later this week.
DirectorAntoine Fuquabrings his modern vision to a classic story in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures’ and Columbia Pictures’The Magnificent Seven. With the town of Rose Creek under the deadly control of industrialist Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard), the desperate townspeople employ protection from seven outlaws, bounty hunters, gamblers and hired guns - Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington), Josh Farraday (Chris Pratt), Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke), Jack Horne (Vincent D’Onofrio), Billy Rocks (Byung-Hun Lee), Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), and Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier). As they prepare the town for the violent showdown that they know is coming, these seven mercenaries find themselves fighting for more than money. The supporting cast includesHaley Bennett,Luke Grimes,Wagner MouraandMatthew Bomer.
Storksdeliver babies…or at least they used to. Now they deliver packages for global internet giant Cornerstore.com. Junior, the company’s top delivery stork, is about to be promoted when he accidentally activates the Baby Making Machine, producing an adorable and wholly unauthorized baby girl. Desperate to deliver this bundle of trouble before the boss gets wise, Junior and his friend Tulip, the only human on Stork Mountain, race to make their first-ever baby drop - in a wild and revealing journey that could make more than one family whole and restore the storks’ true mission in the world.
Andy Samberg,Kelsey Grammer,Keegan Michael Key,Jordan Peele,Kate Crown,Jennifer Aniston,Ty Burrell,Anton Starkman,Danny Trejo,Ike BarinholtzandAmanda Lundlead the all-star voice cast forStorks.Nicholas Stoller, best known for live action comedies such asNeighborsand this summer’s sequelNeighbors 2: Sorority Rising, directs alongsideDoug Sweetland, from his own screenplay. This project is the first movie to debut under Warner Bros.' newly-minted Warner Animation Group. The top 5 is rounded out byBlair Witch($4.5 million) andSnowden($4.1 million)
The top 10 is rounded out byBlair Witch($3.9 million),Don’t Breathe($3.8 million),Suicide Squad($3.1 million),When the Bough Breaks$2.5 million andKubo and the Two Strings($1.1 million). Also opening in limited release is Disney’sQueen of Katwe, which will expand into a wide release on September 30.The Queen of Katweearned $305,000 from 52 theaters this weekend, for a decent per-screen average of $5,865. Broad Green Pictures’The Dressmakerearned $180,522 from 36 theaters for a $5,015 per-screen average, although no box office data was released for CJ Entertainment’sThe Age of Shadows, Shout! Factory’sBeauty and the Beast, First Run’sThe Ruins of Lifta, Strand’sCloset Monster, , Magnolia’sThe Lovers and the Despot, Under the Milky Way’sMade in France, Indican’sNew World Order.
Looking ahead to next weekend, three newcomers will close out the month of September. Lionsgate will release their thrillerDeepwater Horizon, alongside the Relativity comedyMastermindsand 20th Century Fox’s fantasy adaptationMiss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Also opening in limited release is A24’sAmerican Honey, First Run’sAmong the Believers, Freestyle Releasing’sClinton Inc., Magnolia’sDanny Says, Bleecker Street’sDenial, Vanish Films’Do Not Resist, Starz Media’s comedyFlock of Dudes, FilmRise’sHarry & Snowman, China Lion’sI Belonged to You, FIP’sM.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, Music Box Films’A Man Called Oveand Well Go USA"sOperation MeKong. Be sure to check back on Sunday for the box office estimates, and again on Tuesday for next week’s predictions. Until then, check out our projected top 10 for the weekend of September 23.
