The opening weekend box office for The Girl on the Train was just about as expected even though many theaters throughout Florida and nearby states closed due to Hurricane Matthew. Pre-release projections had the big screen adaptation of Paula Hawkins’ novel opening domestically at $27 million, and it opened with $24 million which isn’t far off. However, critics haven’t been kind to the dramatic film starring Emily Blunt and its RottenTomatoes rating is currently at just 44% fresh. Ticket buyers have also found the film to be lacking, with the movie’s overall opening weekend score sitting at B- on CinemaScore. Odds are this Train will be halted at the station and won’t have much in the way of legs at the box office.
The weekend’s other wide releases – Birth of a Nation and Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life – actually earned higher marks from ticket buyers than The Girl on the Train. Birth of a Nation, which went into the opening weekend with the controversy still swirling around director/actor Nate Parker, was given an A grade by ticket buyers and is at 79% fresh on RottenTomatoes. Middle School earned an A- and a 59% RottenTomatoes score.
Box Office Top 10: October 7-9, 2016
- The Girl on the Train – $24,660,000
- Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children – $15,000,000
- Deepwater Horizon – $11,750,000
- The Magnificent Seven – $9,150,000
- Storks – $8,450,000
- The Birth of a Nation – $7,100,000
- Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life – $6,900,000
- Sully – $5,270,000
- Masterminds – $4,100,000
- Queen of Katwe – $1,618,000
