Box office roundup – Aug. 24, 2014 – “Guardians” returns to the top
Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) and Rocket Racoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper).
1. Guardians of the Galaxy – $17.6 million [4th week; $252 million in total] After a two-week stint in the runner-up slot, Marvel Studios’ latest not only reclaimed the top spot, but out-grossed “Transformers: Age of Extinction” to become 2014’s highest grossing summer flick. At some point this week, it will also surpass “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” ($259 million) to become the highest grossing film of the year solidifying Marvel Studios’ box office dominance.
2. If I Stay – $16.5 million [debut week] The romantic teen tear-jerker proved once again the power of the teen drama. This actually was well behind the acclaimed “The Fault in Our Stars,” which opened with $48 million. But with a $10 million budget, it’s already brought in a profit.
Michelangelo, Leonardo, Megan Fox as April O’Neil, Raphael, and Donatello in “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”
3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – $16 million [3rd week; $135 million] Despite falling from a two-week stint atop the box office to third place this weekend, Paramount executives can take comfort that this is now the highest grossing entry in the series as it passed the 1990 original and has made back its $125 million budget.
4. Let’s Be Cops $11 million – [2nd week; $40 million in total] The buddy comedy held up just fine against the three newcomers as it had another pure profit week after doubling its $17 million budget.
5. When the Game Stands Tall – $9 million [debut week] – The latest high school football film scored with families as it opened slightly higher than 2006’s “We Are Marshall’s” $6.4 million opening although it was just behind April’s “Draft Day,” which earned $9.8 million. Kevin Costner’s star power could have proven the difference in that case. Next weekend will be key to determine its long-term prospects.
Jessica Alba as Nancy
8. Sin City: A Dame to Kill For – $6.4 million [debut week] – In the biggest shocker of the weekend, Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez’s sequel to their breakout 2005 hit failed to even crack the Top 5. The first film opened to $29.1 million. It’s likely the nine year gap significantly dulled audience anticipation for this, but it’s just as likely that audiences have moved on from the dreary world in “Sin City.” After all, in the span of time between “Sin City” installments we’ve gotten two more Christopher Nolan Batman films, three Iron Man movies, two Captain America, Thor, Amazing Spider-Man , a Superman reboot and The Avengers. Next to that array of superhero talent, Marv and company just don’t compare to mainstream audiences anymore. It didn’t help that critics weren’t nearly as fond of the sequel as it only managed 43% freshness on rottentomatoes.com compared to the original’s 78%
Jeff what’s happening my man, hell we actually got 3 Nolan Batman films between the two Sin City films because “Batman Begins” came out 3-4 months later than the original ‘Sin City’ in 2005. That film series is DOA as is Rodriquez directorial career at the moment, dude needs a hit film in the worst way soon or it’s a wrap for his career. GOTG returning to number one in it’s fourth week says two things to me. On one side it’s very impressive, but on the other side it tells you just how weak this summer domestic box office have been. This will be the first summer since 2001 that no film reached 300 million domestically. It does indeed look like GOTG will pass ‘Cap 2’ soon as the biggest domestic grosser of the year, while GOTG got a little better ratings by critics and is a pretty good film, I still think ‘Cap 2’ is undoubtedly the better film. But with the success of these two films Marvel is absolutely killing it, just wait until AOU drops next year, it’s box office numbers are going to be absolutely insane. While GOTC will hold the title for domestic box office champ for a few months, that will certainly change once the ‘Hunger Games’ sequel drops in November obviously. That being said I think both ‘Cap 2’ and GOTG will rank among the top 5 biggest domestic grossing films of the year, count on it.
Man you’re right. Not sure why I thought Sin City came out in August 05. Rodriguez is tight with Tarantino so I feel like he’ll have a longer run despite lacking a big hit. Until this, Grindhouse and Machete Kills, his movies have always made a profit though. This summer has been terribly weak.
Totally agree with you on WS and GOTG too. Yep, AOU is gonna have a crazy box office. I’m thinking HG will definitely be this year’s number one film.
Haha yeah man this summer as far as domestic box office goes has been terrible. Take GOTG which is the summer’s biggest hit, in 2012 or 2013 it would have the 3rd to 4th highest grossing domestic film at beat. In 2011 it would have been 3rd behind HP8 and Transformers 3, so while GOTG has been impressive without a doubt you have to put it in a little perspective. If you take the domestic numbers GOTG(280-290 million) and T:AOE(245-246)will end up with combined(525-536 million), they still come up short of The Avengers(623 million) and TDK(535 million), other past summer blockbusters. I’m not knocking GOTG success at all, I’m just telling some overly delusional fans to calm down a little, because I’ve seen far more impressive box office numbers before. Even if it has a drop off by some chance HG will be the biggest grossing domestic film of the year easily, even if it did drop off I couldn’t see it doing no less than 370-380 million domestic at worst. As far as the biggest global box office goes I think the title will go to T:AOE with over a billion grossed, I think Hobbit 3 is the only film left this year that has a shot at grossing 1 billion and that won’t be easy.
Yeah I saw sin city. You are right. this is about 8 years overdo. I mean even 300 kept people engaged and advanced the story. This should have been made RIGHT after or done at the same time. Brolin was okay but he was no clive owen. The slight humor was gone. Marv was still okay but not the tour de force of the first movie. Another thing, its also depressing to remember that michael clark duncan is dead. No knock on Dennis but not quite the same playing a evil henchmen when you are so kind to save me money on our insurance. Now i will save Eva green STOLE the show, but her story line was still.. ummm shallow? I mean she had those erkah badu powers to make men lose their minds and well she LOOOKED the part. The best thing of this dour movie. The johnny character was good, but clearly he must of known what was going to happen? Also to give jessica sorry a zz “dancer” the last part brought it down! First off i may sound sexist but she worked better as a prop last movie. In my mind she was getting a crap performance as a crap dancer. as crazy a city as this place is.. and she fully clothed, shootin guns at people, and they like this garbage. I mean yeah she looked good but she better learn to act before that cuteness wears off. Now rosario.. now thats a woman lol and we didnt get enough of her this time. Movie is okay but forgettable
Eva Green is pretty much awesome in whatever she’s in these days. I’ve yet to see her give a bad performance even if a movie can’t match her intensity.
Alba just isn’t cutting it anymore and she seems so out of place in “Sin City.” She just can’t get to that dark place the other actors can inhabit for their characters.
More Rosario is never a bad thing!
dude you hit it on th nail. I think you could have let rosario play nancy and she could have pulled it off if they wanted her to do two characters. I mean yeah great that alba can still play a young woman or even close to her mid 20’s but it was so sudden. She just learned to shoot, now she is flying in the air with a crossbow and picking off contract killers??????? fail. I would rather her story got swapped out with a “old town girl” feature or something.
Yeah cause Alba sure couldn’t play Gail either.
You had me cracking up with that take on ninja Nancy.
sadly other then eva green’s goodies. I get more excitement from a real good episode of the arrow
LOL. Season 3 is coming soon!
one more thought. I just put it together this was the insane chick from 300. damn she makes insanse so damn hot.
LOL. Yeah she does. Her hot/crazy scale is off the charts.