"Minions" finishes 2nd with $50.2M; "Trainwreck" debuts at $30.2M
By Jake Coyle, Film Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --Marvel's "Ant-Man" punched above its weight at the weekend box office, debuting with an estimated $58 million, while Amy Schumer's "Trainwreck" also opened strongly with $30.2 million.
The result for "Ant-Man" didn't match some of Marvel's better known and brawnier properties. But "Ant-Man" — a relatively inexpensive superhero movie with a $130 million budget — still dominated North American multiplexes, edging out the little yellow guys of Universal's "Minions," which took in $50.2 million in its second week.
"Ant-Man," starring Paul Rudd as a slightly more irreverent and distinctly smaller superhero, came in a little below earlier stand-alone Marvel films like "Thor" ($65.7 million in 2011) and "Captain America: The First Avenger" ($65.1 million in 2011).
Dave Hollis, head of distribution at Disney, credited Marvel for successfully expanding its universe both in tone and audience makeup. The movie, a more humorous heist film, appealed more to women (42 percent of the audience) and families (28 percent) than most Marvel releases.
"Most encouragingly in this one, the exit scores we're seeing from women — their likelihood to recommend and how much they enjoyed the film — was higher here than almost any film we've had," Hollis said. "It's a great sign for what word of mouth should be for the run, but, two, what it means for how women think about these movies being for them as much as men might."
The next question will be whether the result was strong enough to kick start an "Ant-Man 2." Though "Ant-Man" had a rocky path to the screen, with director Peyton Reed replacing Edgar Wright shortly before shooting commenced, its CinemaScore from audiences is an A. It took in $56.4 million abroad.
The opening was closest to 2008's "The Incredible Hulk" ($55 million), the poorly received Edward Norton edition that didn't spawn further installments. Rudd is already to appear as Ant-Man in "Captain America: Civil War."
"I say this was a success," said Paul Dergarabedian, Rentrak's senior media analyst. "This was never predestined to open with $80 (million) or $100 million. Marvel continues to evolve and surprised the audience. This was about a perfectly solid result for a brand new property."
The $30.2 million opening for Schumer's big-screen debut, "Trainwreck," which the comedian also wrote, earned an estimated $30.2 million, making the R-rated Universal release one of the biggest comedy successes this summer. It's also the second best opening for Judd Apatow as a director following "Knocked Up."
Already a critically acclaimed star on Comedy Central for her sketch show "Inside Amy Schumer," Schumer's transition to movies has drawn good reviews and opened above expectations, further showing the power of female moviegoers. The audience was two-thirds women, Universal said.
"Amy Schumer is an absolute talent and should have a great career in the movies," said Nick Carpou, distribution head for Universal. "The character that she portrays very effectively enables modern women."
Opening in just five locations was Woody Allen's "Irrational Man," starring Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone. The Sony Pictures Classic release packed those theaters for an average of $37,623 per screen.
The Roadside Attractions and Miramax release "Mr. Holmes," starring Ian McKellen as an aged Sherlock Holmes, debuted with $2.5 million in 363 theaters.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday:
1. "Ant-Man," $58 million ($56.4 million international).
2. "Minions," $50.2 million ($66.2 million international).
3. "Trainwreck," $30.2 million.
4. "Inside Out," $11.7 million ($21. 3 million international).
5. "Jurassic World," $11.4 million ($12.3 million international).
6. "Terminator Genisys," $5.4 million ($22.2 million international).
7. "Magic Mike XXL," $4.5 million ($5.8 million international).
8. "Gallows," $4 million ($2.1 million international).
9. "Ted 2," $2.7 million ($7.5 million international).
10. "Mr. Holmes," $2.5 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada), according to Rentrak:
1. "Monster Hunt," $72 million.
2. "Minions," $66.2 million.
3. "Jian Bing Man," $61 million.
4. "Ant-Man," $56.4 million.
5. "Monkey King: Hero Is Back," $22.5 million.
6. "Terminator Genisys," $22.2 million.
7. "Inside Out," $21.3 million.
8. "Jurassic World," $12.3 million.
9. "Ted 2," $7.5 million.
10. "Magic Mike XXL," $5.8 million.
Jennifer Kent On Why Her Feature Directing Debut, “The Babadook,” Continues To Haunt Us
"The Babadook," when it was released 10 years ago, didn't seem to portend a cultural sensation.
It was the first film by a little-known Australian filmmaker, Jennifer Kent. It had that strange name. On opening weekend, it played in two theaters.
But with time, the long shadows of "The Babadook" continued to envelop moviegoers. Its rerelease this weekend in theaters, a decade later, is less of a reminder of a sleeper 2014 indie hit than it is a chance to revisit a horror milestone that continues to cast a dark spell.
Not many small-budget, first-feature films can be fairly said to have shifted cinema but Kent's directorial debut may be one of them. It was at the nexus of that much-debated term "elevated horror." But regardless of that label, it helped kicked off a wave of challenging, filmmaker-driven genre movies like "It Follows," "Get Out" and "Hereditary."
Kent, 55, has watched all of this โ and those many "Babadook" memes โ unfold over the years with a mix of elation and confusion. Her film was inspired in part by the death of her father, and its horror elements likewise arise out of the suppression of emotions. A single mother (Essie Davis) is struggling with raising her young son (Noah Wiseman) years after the tragic death of her husband. A figure from a pop-up children's book begins to appear. As things grow more intense, his name is drawn out in three chilling syllables โ "Bah-Bah-Doooook" โ an incantation of unprocessed grief.
Kent recently spoke from her native Australia to reflect on the origins and continuing life of "The Babadook."
Q: Given that you didn't set out to in any way "change" horror, how have you regarded the unique afterlife of "The... Read More