It was another underwhelming weekend at the North America box office as Paramount’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows cowabunga’d to mild numbers, Warner’s Me Before You romanced some decent figures in third place while Universal’s Popstar: Never Stop Stopping had a tone-deaf debut in eighth.
Opening 46% below its 2014 predecessor, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows commandeered an okay $35 million from 4,071 theaters. The $135 million production was once again produced by cinematic genius Michael Bay. Reviews were largely negative for the fantasy sequel, which stars Megan Fox, Will Arnett and a seriously slumming Laura Linney. Overseas, the movie earned $34 million in a handful of markets.
Dropping a steep 66% in its second weekend was Fox’s X-Men: Apocalypse with an estimated $22.3 million from 4,153 theaters, good enough for second place. After ten days, the domestic total for the latest adventures of Professor X and friends has earned $116 million. Foreign totals stand at $286 million.
Like the recent Batman V Superman, Apocalypse isn’t necessarily winning the hearts and minds of ticket buyers. With fast fades in the forecast, the $178 million production should finish around $160 million, less than one week’s gross of the other mutant flick from 2016, Deadpool.
In third place was Warner’s romantic weepie Me Before You, which earned a solid $18.2 million from 2,704 theaters. The Emilia Clarke drama received mixed reviews from the critics, but that mattered little. It connected with its target demographic -females under 25- and in the end that is all that mattered. The $20 million production should turn a tidy little profit by the end of its run.
One film that will never see a profit is the Disney disaster Alice Through the Looking Glass, which crashed 61% in its second round. The fantasy earned an estimated $10 million from 3,763 theaters this weekend to bring its ten-day total to an awful $51 million. The $70 million domestic mark is a possibility, well below the film’s $170 million production tag. Alice will gross even less than recent Mouse House bombs John Carter, Tomorrowland and The Lone Ranger. Overseas, the film has earned $125 million so far.
Rounding out the top five was Sony’s Angry Birds Movie with an estimated $9.8 million. Off 48%, the domestic haul stands at $87 million with a final haul just north of $105 million a possibility. Foreign totals are currently at $197 million.
Outside the top five:
- Captain America: Civil War (Disney) $7.6 million (-51%); $388 million
- Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (Universal) $4.9 million (-50%); $48.5 million
- Popstar: Never Stop Stopping (Universal) $4.63 million
This musical mockumentary starring Andy Samberg received decent reviews but never really started with ticket buyers.
- The Jungle Book (Disney) $4.2 million (-40%) $347 million
- The Nice Guys (Warner) $3.5 million (-46%); $29 million
