Maybe they do need the tax credits after all....
"‘Suicide Squad,’ ‘Sausage Party’ tops at the box office" by the Associated Press August 15, 2016
LOS ANGELES — The colorful crew of ‘‘Suicide Squad’’ got duller in their second weekend in theaters, with audiences hungry for the raunchy fare of animated ‘‘Sausage Party.’’
Warner Bros.’ intensely scrutinized comic book film broke records last weekend and managed to stay atop the box office with $43.8 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. But its earnings dropped a steep 67 percent from last weekend.
That's even more than my 50% rule of thumb each week. Wow.
While not unexpected for a film of its size, a fall that large is often an indicator of poor word of mouth, said comScore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian. The DC Comics film, which cost around $175 million to produce, has earned $222.9 million domestically to date.
That's not including the $200 million ad campaign promoting the sucky pos.
Who thought of the title anyway, in these days of ISIS and terror?
Sony’s raunchy R-rated comedy ‘‘Sausage Party,’’ co-written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, debuted in second place with $33.6 million, outpacing its reported production budget of $19 million.
‘‘What is phenomenal about this result is it shows if you take risks and are high-quality and original in this marketplace, it can pay off big time,’’ said Josh Greenstein, Sony’s president of worldwide marketing and distribution. ‘‘It’s a big win for Sony.’’
Makes up for "The Interview."
The film takes a ‘‘Toy Story”-like approach to the world of supermarket food items but with bawdy humor. It features the voices of Rogen, Kristen Wiig, and Jonah Hill.
I'm tired of the gross garbage. Once is funny, twice ha-ha, three times polite smile, fourth time stop it, and we are now awash in a sea of this stuff. I suppose untalented Jewish kids need jobs.
ComScore’s Dergarabedian likens the buzz and solid performance to that of ‘‘Ted,’’ which also became a strong earner by turning a seemingly innocent concept very adult.
I wasn't a big fan.
‘‘It’s exactly the kind of offbeat, original comedy that audiences respond to,’’ Dergarabedian said. ‘‘Summer is all about cookie-cutter sequels, prequels, and reboots — the most non-original fare you can think of. And then when something comes along like this, it just solidifies the notion that audiences want something edgy, different — and that creates a conversation.’’
I'm not talking about it.
The film that was actually for children this weekend, ‘‘Pete’s Dragon,’’ debuted in third place with a measly $21.5 million. Disney’s live-action/CG remake of its 1977 film stars Robert Redford and Bryce Dallas Howard and cost a reported $65 million to produce.
Down goes their stock.
It is a less-than-stellar launch for a film well-received by critics, though not as poor as Disney’s ‘‘The BFG,’’ another live-action/CG hybrid from earlier this summer that earned only $53.3 million in the US against a $140 million budget.
Disney executive vice president of distribution Dave Hollis expects ‘‘Pete’s Dragon’’ to end its run domestically in the $80 million range with a little more from overseas.
‘‘We walk away feeling good about where we are,’’ he said.
It's an empty theater but they feel good about it.
Talk about believing in your own fictions.
Paramount’s Meryl Streep-starrer ‘‘Florence Foster Jenkins’’ also got off to an inauspicious start, taking in $6.6 million from 1,528 locations.
Looks like time has passed her by. No one is interested.
Holdover ‘‘Jason Bourne’’ took fourth place with $13.6 million, bringing its domestic total to $126.8 million after three weeks in theaters, while the modestly budgeted ‘‘Bad Moms’’ rounded out the top five with $11.5 million. The R-rated STX comedy has earned a robust $71.5 million domestically.
Yeah, Bourne held true to the thumbnail and will soon be gone.
In limited release, Lionsgate and CBS Films’ well-reviewed ‘‘Hell or High Water’’ earned $592,000 from just 32 theaters. The film, starring Jeff Bridges and Chris Pine, will be expanding in the coming weeks.
Even with modest starts and disappointing holds, the box office is still up about 16 percent from this weekend last year and 5.2 percent overall as the summer season nears its end.
Then they can give back tax breaks, right.
Hey, these receipts don't add up.
--more--"
Related:
"The supervillain romp ‘‘Suicide Squad’’ shrugged off scathing reviews to open with an estimated $135.1 million in North American ticket sales, scoring one of the year’s biggest box-office debuts.
Not everything was roses for ‘‘Suicide Squad,’’ though. (The other new
wide release, the animated release ‘‘Nine Lives,’’ debuted in sixth with
a mere $6.5 million.) After fans flocked to theaters Thursday night and
Friday, audiences dropped steeply on Saturday. That could forecast
further sharp declines for the $175 million film. The top five for the
weekend box office was otherwise filled with holdovers: The Matt Damon
spy sequel ‘‘Jason Bourne’’ grossed $22.7 million in its second weekend
to finish second. ‘‘Bad Moms’’ was third with $14.2 million in its
second week. “The Secret Life of Pets” ($11.5 million) and “Star Trek
Beyond” ($10.2 million) were fourth and fifth."
Maybe I'll just wait for it to come to Netflix.
Matt Damon recalls his bench scene with Robin Williams
Lenny Clarke to headline fund-raiser for Joe Andruzzi Foundation
I see Bob Kraft stopped by.
Mayor Walsh’s lateness phases William Shatner at Boston Comic Con
That's big business, too, and I see Bob DeNiro has finally gone insane (or was blinded).
