Box Office: ''Ant-Man'' tops with $58 million, ''Trainwreck'' impresses with $30.2 million
Marvel`s "Ant-Man" landed with a solid $58 million at the weekend box office, while "Trainwreck`s" Amy Schumer put her own raunchy spin on romantic comedies to the tune of a $30.2 million debut.
Trending Photos
Los Angeles: Marvel`s "Ant-Man" landed with a solid $58 million at the weekend box office, while "Trainwreck`s" Amy Schumer put her own raunchy spin on romantic comedies to the tune of a $30.2 million debut.
Disney distribution chief Dave Hollis admitted that he wished the movie had done a little better, but still praised Marvel as a model of consistency.
"No one else could take what is really an obscure character and launch it in such a big way," said Hollis. "It`s a sign that they`re doing so much right and that it`s a brand that has overwhelming momentum."
Universal`s "Trainwreck" bested initial projections which had it debuting to roughly $20 million. The story of a commitment-phobic woman who falls for a sports doctor got a boost from strong reviews and a long and winding promotional tour that saw Schumer doing everything from posing provocatively with C3PO to sexting Katie Couric`s husband.
"Amy Schumer is absolutely a star," said Nick Carpou, Universal`s domestic distribution chief. "Based on exit polling, after the humor, she`s the second biggest reason people went out to see the film."
"Trainwreck" kicks off Schumer`s film career on a high note and marks the second biggest opening for director Judd Apatow, behind only "Knocked Up`s" $30.7 million debut. Crowds were primarily comprised of women, as females represented 66% of ticket buyers. Universal produced the comedy for a modest $35 million, so it should make a healthy return on its investment.
That`s a fraction of the $130 million that Marvel spent on the story of a thief (Paul Rudd) who becomes a hero after donning a suit that gives him the powers of an arthropod. The superhero film will lean heavily on foreign crowds as it looks for profits. Internationally, "Ant-Man" opened in 37 markets, including Mexico, the U.K., France, and Russia, pulling in $56 million.
"Ant-Man," which employs a more tongue-in-cheek, lighter tone than most superhero movies had hoped to pull in younger crowds. To that end, the domestic audience for "Ant-Man" was 28% comprised of families. Fifty eight percent of ticket buyers were male, 59% were adult, and 13% were teens.
In its second weekend, Universal and Illumination Entertainment`s "Minions" captured runner-up status, pulling in $50.2 million. The "Despicable Me" spin-off has racked up $216.7 million stateside since it debuted, while selling boatloads of merchandise.
In milestone news, "Jurassic World" became just the fourth film in history to top $600 million domestically. The dinosaur thriller added $11.4 million to take fifth place on the box office chart and propel its North American total to $611.1 million.
Meanwhile, "Inside Out" pushed past $300 million domestically, joining "Toy Story 3" and "Finding Nemo" as the third Pixar film to reach that mark. Domestically, "Inside Out" racked up $11.6 million for a fourth place finish, bringing its North American gross to $306.4 million.
Among art house releases, Woody Allen`s "Irrational Man" pulled in $188,115 on five screens during its first weekend, for a per screen average of $37,623. Also opening, "Mr. Holmes" with Ian McKellen as an aging super sleuth, grossed an estimated $2.5 million on 363 screens, for a per screen average of $6,856.
Overall box office numbers are still being tallied, but it looks like ticket sales will be up more than 30% over the same period last year. It marks the sixth consecutive weekend of gains, a sign that business is booming at the multiplexes. That cuts both ways, as Disney and Marvel discovered.
"It`s great for the business, but what it means is that it`s more competitive," said Hollis.
Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in india news and world News on Zee News.
Advertisement
Live Tv
Advertisement