TheLabor Day holidayweekend typically marks the end of the summer movie season, and the grosses typically reflect the end of summer as well. Last weekend, the hit thrillerDon’t Breathetook the top spot with $15.7 million over the first three-days, and a total of $19.5 over the extended four-day holiday, but it faced four newcomers this weekend, the true story biopicSully, the sexually-charged thrillerWhen the Bough Breaks, the animated adventureThe Wild Lifeand Relativity’s thrillerThe Disappointments Room. As predicted,Sullyeasily took the top spot with $35.5 million this weekend.
We had wondered if the 15th Anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks would cause people to skipSully, starringTom Hanksas the pilot who saved lives during an incredible emergency landing known as the Miracle on the Hudson. That wasn’t the case, though, with the movie pulling in an impressive $10,072 per-screen average from 3,525 theaters, according toBox Office Mojo. It has also made back more than half of its $60 million budget in just its first three days in theaters.
Sullyis already a hit with critics, earning an impressive 83% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but the same could not be said about the other three new releases.When the Bough Breaksdebuted in second place with a decent $15.5 million, with a solid $6,679 per-screen average from 2,246 theaters. It has already surpassed its $10 million budget, but it didn’t impress any critics at all, with a 0% RT rating, although it is out of just nine reviews. The animated adventureThe Wild Lifeopened in fifth place with $3.4 million, behindDon’t Breathe($8.2 million) andSuicide Squad($5.6 million). It has only mustered a 15% rating, down from a 45% rating on RT earlier this week, earning a paltry $1,364 per-screen average from 2,493 theaters.The Disappointments Roomdidn’t even crack the top 10, finishing in 17th place with $1.4 million, with a horrid $901 per-screen average from 1,554 theaters.
Sullyfollows the pilot that saved over 150 lives during the “Miracle on the Hudson” when Captain, Chesley Sullenberger, nicknamedSully& is portrayed byTom Hanksglided his disabled plane onto the frigid waters of the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 aboard. However, even as Sully was being heralded by the public and the media for his unprecedented feat of aviation skill, an investigation was unfolding that threatened to destroy his reputation and his career.Clint Eastwooddirects this biopic, with a supporting cast that includesAaron Eckhart,Laura Linney,Jerry Ferrara,Autumn Reeser,Sam Huntington,Holt McCallanyandMax Adler.
When the Bough Breaksis an intense thriller that shows what happens when a couple unwittingly finds thesurrogate from hell. The story follows John and Laura Taylor (Morris ChestnutandRegina Hall), a young, professional couple who desperately want a baby. After exhausting all other options, they finally hire Anna (Jaz Sinclair), the perfect woman to be their surrogate - but as she gets further along in her pregnancy, so too does her psychotic and dangerous fixation on the husband. The couple becomes caught up in Anna’s deadly game and must fight to regain control of their future before it’s too late.Jon Cassardirects with a supporting cast that includesTheo Rossi,Christine BachandMichelle DeVito.
The animated adventureThe Wild Lifeis set on a tiny exotic island. Tuesday, an outgoing parrot, lives with his quirky animal friends in paradise. However, Tuesday can’t stop dreaming about discovering the world. After a violent storm, Tuesday and his friends wake up to find a strange creature on the beach: Robinson Crusoe. Tuesday immediately views Crusoe as his ticket off the island to explore new lands. Likewise, Crusoe soon realizes that the key to surviving on the island is through the help of Tuesday and the other animals. It isn’t always easy at first, as the animals don’t speak “human.” Slowly but surely, they all start living together in harmony, until one day, when their comfortable life is overturned by two savage cats, who wish to take control of the island. A battle ensues between the cats and the group of friends but Crusoe and the animals soon discover the true power of friendship up against all odds (even savage cats).
The top 10 is rounded out byKubo and the Two Strings($3.2 million),Pete’s Dragon($2.9 million),Bad Moms($2.8 million),Hell or High Water($2.6 million) andSausage Party$2.3 million). Also arriving in limited release this weekend is Focus World’s dramaKicks, which earned $32,000 from three theaters for a $10,667 per-screen average, Janus Films' documentaryCameraperson, which took in $12,897 from one theater, Vertical Entertainment’s dramaOther People, $38,000 from 12 theaters for a $3,167 per-screen average, The Orchard’s horror-thrillerDemonwhich took in $13,560
from three theaters for a $4,520 per-screen average, Cohen Media Group’s dramaCome What Maywhich earned $10,656 from two theaters for a $5,328 per-screen average and IFC’s documentaryDancer, which earned $7,000 from one theater. No box office data was released for Magnolia’s documentaryAuthor: The JT LeRoy Story. We don’t know if there are plans for these limited release titles to expand in the weeks and months to come.
Looking ahead to next week, four more newcomers hit the big screen in wide release. Open Road Films will roll out their true story thrillerSnowden, Universal will debut the comedy sequelBridget Jones' Baby, Lionsgate will unveil their secret horror sequelBlair Witchand PureFlix will release the documentaryHillsong - Let Hope Rise. Also opening in limited release next weekend is Abramorama’s documentaryThe Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years, China Lion’s thrillerCock and Bull, Independent’s thrillerThe Good Neighbor, The Orchard’s comedyMiss StevensFilmRise’s documentarySilicon Cowboysand The Weinstein Company’s comedy adventureWild Oats. Check back on Sunday for the box office estimates, and again next Tuesday for the latest round of predictions. In the meantime, take a look at our predictions for the weekend of September 9.
