Debuting in third place was the acclaimed James Brown biopic Get On Up, which made a solid but far from groovy $14 million. That was a slightly higher opening than June’s Jersey Boys ($13.3 million) but was only about half of what 42 did in its first weekend ($27.5 million). (42 also starred Chadwick Boseman in the leading role.) The good news is that the film targeted adult audiences (a whopping 90% were over 25) and women (63% of moviegoers), and both of these groups are being underserved at the current summer box office. With an A CinemaScore, Get On Up could be a leggy hit this August and end up surpassing the $50 million mark.
With a colossal take for Guardians, it was certain that a couple of films would crumble over the weekend. One of those titles was the Brett Ratner sword-and-sandals flick Hercules, which dropped a sharp 64% to take $10.7 million and fourth place. With $52.3 million after 10 days, Hercules should wrap up its run with around $70 to $75 million. Nevertheless, the film should still perform well internationally, which could make up for some of its domestic losses.
In fifth place was Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, which dipped 48% to take in $8.7 million. Earlier in the week, it surpassed Rise of the Planet of the Apes‘s North American total. With a strong $189.3 million in the bank so far, the summer sequel should finish its run with around $215 million domestically (or around three times its opening weekend). The sci-fi thriller is also on its way to the half-billion dollar mark worldwide.
On the limited release front, A Most Wanted Man and Boyhood continued to deliver strong results. The drama starring Philip Seymour Hoffman stayed in the top 10 by doubling its theater count and jumping 24% to take $3.3 million and tenth place. Boyhood nearly tripled its location count and brought in $2.5 million from around 300 theaters. Respective cumes are $7.1 and $7.6 million, respectively, with both films expected to become one of the top two highest grossers in their distributors’ history (Roadside Attractions for Man, IFC Films for Boyhood).
Magic in the Moonlight, meanwhile, did not achieve any miracles during its first expansion. The Woody Allen-directed comedy brought in a decent $770,000 from 65 theaters. With middling reviews and lots of art-house options for adults, this could be one of the director’s more tepid hits. The film has a $1.4 million total in limited release and is set to expand throughout the month.
Here are the box office estimates for the Top 10 films at the North American box office, the weekend of August 1 through 3, 2014:
1. Guardians of the Galaxy – $94 million (NEW)
2. Lucy – $18.3 million ($79.6 million total)
3. Get On Up – $14 million (NEW)
4. Hercules – $10.7 million ($52.3 million total)
5. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes – $8.7 million ($189.3 million total)
6. Planes: Fire and Rescue – $6.4 million ($47.6 million total)
7. The Purge: Anarchy – $5.6 million ($63 million total)
8. Sex Tape – $3.6 million ($33.9 million total)
9. And So It Goes – $3.3 million ($10.5 million total)
10. A Most Wanted Man – $3.3 million ($7.1 million total)
NOTE: These numbers are weekend estimates based on Friday and Saturday’s estimated takes. Actual numbers for the 3-day weekend are reported on Monday afternoon.