Weekend Box Office Roundup: “Guardians of the Galaxy” on its way to surpass “Transformers: Age of Extinction” while “Expendables 3” and “The Giver” Underwhelm
This weekend's box office returns indicate "Guardians of the Galaxy" will be a hit with both critics and fans, while new releases like "Expendables 3" and "The Giver" rake in much less than expected.
The Marvel Universe continues to impress both film fans and comic book nerds alike with the success of "Guardians of the Galaxy." While it was down 45% in comparison with last week's returns according to Variety, it surpassed the $200 million mark this weekend, despite competing with "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" (which still remained on top this weekend). However, the most important takeaway from this weekend is that summer blockbusters may have reached the end of summer slump with the lackluster returns on "Expendables 3" and "The Giver."
As for the disappointment with "Expendables 3," Jim Amos from Indiewire speculates: "Whether it was piracy, or the PG-13 instead of an R rating or general franchise malaise, Stallone and crew's 'Expendables 3' debuted to a soft $5.9 million and should land at roughly $16 million or so for the three day." These flat results are also quite surprising in the context of its current A- Cinemascore.
In regards to "The Giver," perhaps the critics' disappointment with the film deterred quite a few moviegoers from paying to see the teen dystopian film. Despite being the adaptation of the beloved Lois Lowry novel, "The Giver" only took in a disappointing $4.7 million on its opening night. Box Office Mojo predicts the film will have a return of $11 million by the end of the weekend.
The end of summer slump seems to be a reality when this weekend's top films are carryovers from the previous weeks. "Sin City: A Dame To Kill For" is the film with the most potential to change things leading into next week, mainly due to the star-studded cast that includes Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. While die hard fans may still trickle into the theaters for "Expendables 3" and "The Giver," the true star of the weekend is "Guardians of the Galaxy" as it continues to skyrocket up in box office returns.
