The Martianfell just shy of breakingGravity’sbox officerecord for highest October opening of $55.7 million, by taking in $55 million in its first weekend. That record will likely be in no danger of falling this weekend either, with only one new movie arriving in wide release, Warner Bros.‘Pan, and TriStar’sThe Walkexpanding. WithPan’s less than stellar critical reception so far, the projections atBoxOffice.comindicate thatPanlikely won’t have a shot at the top spot, withThe Martianset to win for a second time in a row.
The Martianopened in 3,750 theaters, a count that isn’t expected to change too much going into its second weekend at the box office.Ridley Scott’ssci-fidrama following the quest to save an astronaut stranded on Mars has been called the best movie of the year by a number of critics. We still have a long way to go until the awards season races truly start to heat up, butThe Martianhas emerged as one of the top front runners. With an all-star cast includingMatt Damon,Jessica Chastain,Kristen Wiig,Kate Mara,Sebastian Stan,Sean Bean,Michael Peña,Chiwetel EjioforandJeff Daniels,The Martianis set to continue the tradition of outer space movies that are both financial and critical hits, includingGravityandInterstellar, which opened in the same frame the past two years. After last weekend’s $55 million tally,The Martianshould have no trouble securing first place again with an estimated $23.7 million.
It should be a very close race for second place between holdoverHotel Transylvania 2andPan, which is expected to open in more than 3,350 theaters. WhileHotel Transylvania 2is in its third frame in theaters, it only dropped 31.5% to take in $33 million during its second weekend, and it should pull in around $17 million this week for second place, bestingPan’s projection of $16 million. WhilePan, from directorJoe Wright, does feature an all-star cast led byHugh Jackman,Rooney Mara,Amanda Seyfried,Garrett Hedlund,Cara Delevingneand newcomerLevi Miller, critics haven’t exactly been warming up to this Peter Pan adventure, which currently sits at 42% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Sicariois expected to drop from third place to fourth place this weekend with $8.2 million, withThe Walkcracking the top 5 with $7.6 million.The Walk, starringJoseph Gordon-LevittandBen Kingsley, is based on the incredible true story of Philippe Petit, whose daring high-wire walk across the Twin Towers in 1974 made headlines around the world. DirectorRobert Zemeckis’ thriller didn’t post incredible numbers during its exclusive run in 448 IMAX theaters, taking in $1.5 million for a $3,483 per-screen average. If it manages to hold steady in the per-screen average department, it should be able to crack the top 5.
Rounding out the top 10 will beThe Intern($6.3 million),The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials($4.4 million),Black Mass($2.8 million),Everest($2 million) andThe Visit($1.8 million). It’s worth noting that the critically-acclaimed indie drama99 Homes, which opened in limited release two weeks ago, could have a shot to crack the top 10 this weekend, since the Broad Green Pictures release expands into more than 500 theaters. It has taken in $140,918 so far, but we’ll have to wait and see how it fares with an expanded theater count. It isn’t known if there are any plans for a nationwide expansion yet.
Debuting in limited release this weekend is the highly-anticipatedSteve Jobs, which opens in just nine theaters in New York and Los Angeles. Barring an unprecedented box office miracle, this biopic won’t crack the top 10, but it is expected to put up massive numbers in limited release. The drama starringMichael Fassbender,Kate Winslet,Seth Rogen,Jeff Daniels,Katherine Waterston, andMichael Stuhlbarg, is set backstage before three of Apple’s massive product launches, the Mac computer, Apple Next, and the original iPad. The film has already been receiving critical raves after debuting at the Telluride Film Festival last month, and playing at the New York Film Festival last week.Steve Jobswill expand nationwide on October 23. Also opening in limited release is Picturehouse’s Big Stone Gap, starringPatrick WilsonandAshley Judd, Vertical Entertainment’sThe Final GirlsstarringNina DobrevandTaissa Farmigaand foreign films Victoria and Xenia.
Looking ahead to next weekend, there will be three movies aimed at vastly different genres that will be vying for box office supremacy.Bridge of Spies, starringTom Hanks, will cater to those seeking a historical adult drama, whileGuillermo del Toro’sCrimson Peakwill attract the adult horror crowd andGoosebumpswill bring in a much more family-friendly audience. We don’t have any specific numbers for any of these movies' theater counts yet, but this unique trio of movies should provide a very interesting race at the box office. BothCrimson Peak(82% on Rotten Tomtoes) andGoosebumps(83% on Rotten Tomatoes) are faring well with critics so far, but we don’t have a critical consensus forBridge of Spiesquite yet. Opening in limited release next weekend are the critically-acclaimed indie dramasRoom,TruthandWoodlawn, along with The Assassin, Cut Snake andAll Things Must Pass. While we wait for next weekend’s numbers to come in, check out this weekend’s predictions below, and check back Sunday for the box office estimates.
