The Martian, which stars Matt Damon, is clearly this fall’s breakout hit, though it isn’t a hit of the same magnitude as Gravity. Declining just 27.5% in its fifth weekend in theaters, The Martian earned $11.4 million to bring its domestic total to $182.8 million. The Martian still trails Gravity, the 2013 hard sci-fi epic that was also released during the first weekend in October, and which had earned $218.9 million by the end of its fifth weekend.
The family-friendly horror movie Goosebumps, held on to second place as it declined just 34.2%, adding $10.2 million to bring its domestic total to $57.1 million, while Steven Spielberg’s adult Cold War drama Bridge of Spies remained in third place as it added $8 million to bring its domestic total to $45.2 million.
This season’s animated hit Hotel Transylvania 2 moved up from #5 to the fourth spot as it added $5.8 million to bring its total to $156 million. Look for HT 2 and Goosebumps to drop significantly next weekend as they face direct competition from the opening of The Peanuts Movie.
The Weinstein Company’s Burnt, which stars Bradley Cooper as a chef who is trying to make a comeback, could manage only $5 million from over 3,000 theaters for a sad opening weekend average of just $1,678 per venue. Foodie dramas and chef sagas have rarely pulled good numbers in theaters, in spite of (or perhaps because of) the fact that there are so many food shows and tyro chefs on the small screen. Burnt, which previously had an even more generic title (Adam Jones), has had several release dates, and its 29% positive rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, along with its poor “B-“ grade from opening weekend audiences, pretty much ensured a dismal box office run, though the film’s modest cost will limit any losses.
Sixth place went to the Vin Diesel-starring fantasy The Last Witch Hunter. It’s 56.1% second weekend decline wouldn’t be so bad if the film had managed a decent opening. It is hard to get excited about a film earning $4.7 million on its second weekend.
After posting the lowest debut in franchise history, Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension plummeted 57.3%. As was explained last week, Paramount struck a deal with theater chains AMC and Cineplex to make some horror titles available for Video on Demand much earlier than usual. Other theater owners have balked at carrying the films—The Ghost Dimension has been in just 1,530, but Paramount believes that it will be able to make up in VOD sales any revenue lost at the box office.
For Sandra Bullock, one of the most reliable female stars at the box office, the political dramedy Our Brand Is Crisis, is a rare failure. Its estimated $3.4 million debut is by far the worst in the star’s career. Her next worst debut was Two If By Sea in 1996, which earned $4.7 million (nearly $9 million today if the same number of folks bought tickets).
While the failure of a couple of new films is no big deal, the carnage over the past few weeks is reaching epidemic proportions with a list that includes this week’s trio of new offerings plus last week’s Jem and the Holograms, Rock the Casbah, and Steve Jobs, plus earlier casualties like Crimson Peak, The Walk, and Pan. The surefire hits (Hunger Games, Star Wars, etc.) can still make 2015 a strong box office year, but this season has exposed some alarming problems with mid-level releases, few of which appear to be hitting the mark.
Guillermo Del Toro’s Crimson Peak fell to #9 in its third weekend, while Danny Boyle and Aaron Sorkin’s well-reviewed Steve Jobs landed at #10 in only its second weekend of wide release, a troubling fall for a film that many felt would be as successful as Sorkin and David Fincher’s Facebook-chronicling The Social Network.
Paramount’s second film in its early VOD deal, Scout’s Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, opened in 1,509 theaters and didn’t even make the top ten on this pitiful weekend, taking in just $1.7 million, with a per venue average of just $1.173.
Were you worrying about the fate of Jem and the Holograms and Rock the Kasbah? After 10 days of release Jem is rocking the #21 spot on the chart, while Rock the Kasbah swooped to #19.
Be sure to check back here next week to see if Daniel Craig as James Bond in Spectre or the heavily advertised Peanuts Movie can revive the reeling box office.
