None of the weekend’s new big studio theatrical releases lived up to pre-release expectations. Blair Witch, Bridget Jones’s Baby, and Snowden all failed to make it to double digits in their first weekend in wide release, which doesn’t bode well for any of the three films having legs at the box office. Of the three, Blair Witch was supposed to be the one to give Sully a run for its money, but the battle for first place was a rout. Sully only dropped 37% from its opening weekend and Blair Witch didn’t come close to its projected $15+ million opening. Audiences also decided finding out the identity of the father of Bridget Jones’ baby – either Colin Firth or Patrick Dempsey’s characters – just wasn’t worth the price of a movie ticket. Meanwhile, Oliver Stone’s Snowden, which is still hoping for awards attention, picked up a fourth place finish and came the closest to actually grossing what it was expected to prior to its release.
Next weekend Sully will be taking on the remake of the classic Western, The Magnificent Seven, and the animated family-friendly comedy, Storks.
Box Office Top 10: September 16-18, 2016
- Sully – $22,000,000
- Blair Witch – $9,650,000
- Bridget Jones Baby – $8,240,715
- Snowden – $8,023,329
- Don’t Breathe – $5,600,000
- When the Bough Breaks – $5,525,000
- Suicide Squad – $4,710,000
- The Wild Life – $2,650,000
- Kubo and the Two Strings – $2,509,000
- Pete’s Dragon – $2,041,000
