There is a misnomer that horror doesn't play in the summer. That might have been the case ten to 15 years ago, but the last few seasons have shown the right horror flick can do very well in the crowded summer months. Case in point? The performance of “Insidious Chapter 3” at the box office on Friday.
Granted, 20th Century Fox's “Poltergeist” remake is already forgotten following its release just two weeks ago, but the latest installment of the “Insidious” franchise proved horror can still surprise as it took the no. 1 spot Friday. The directorial debut of Leigh Whannell, who wrote the original and “Chapter 2,” the Focus Features release took in $10.4 million on its first day. That's half of the $20 million “Chapter 2” earned on Sept. 13, 2013, but considering its relatively low production cost an expected $20-24 million weekend is still big win for Focus. And, yes, that means another film, “Spy,” will likely win the entire frame.
Paul Feig's third collaboration with Melissa McCarthy took in $10.2 million for what should be a $30-32 million three-day. That's significantly behind the $39 million their last flick, “The Heat,” took for its first weekend two years ago, but that's likely more a reflection on Sandra Bullock's star power than anything else. “Spy” has critical acclaim behind it with a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 75 grade on Metacritic. In theory, word of mouth should easily make it Feig's third $100 million grosser in a row.
Last weekend's champ, “San Andreas,” fell to no. 3 with another $7.6 million and $80.2 million in just eight days. The Warner Bros. disaster flick should have $100 million in its sights by Sunday.
Another WB release, “Entourage,” earned $3.7 million for a weak $11 million cume since debuting Wednesday. With a reported $30 million production budget, the big screen adaptation of HBO's comedy series is going to need to need its fan base to find it on VOD, DVD and digital if it has a shot at breaking even.
“Pitch Perfect 2” snuck by “Mad Max: Fury Road” for the fifth slot earning $2.6 million for $155 million domestic as Universal's a cappella blockbuster finally starts to slow down.
Look for complete weekend estimates tomorrow on HitFix.
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