Public Readings - Bourne Legacy' spies $41M weekend after fast start at Friday box office. Universal's "Bourne Legacy" debuted with a $14 million Friday and will knock "Dark Knight Rises" out of the top spot at the U.S. box office this weekend.
The big first day puts the super spy tale, the fourth installment in the "Bourne" franchise and the first with Jeremy Renner replacing Matt Damon as the lead, on track for a better-than-expected $41 million weekend.
Analysts had the movie, which drew a "B" CinemaScore from audiences, doing around $35 million.
"The Campaign," Warner Bros.' R-rated political comedy starring Will Farrell and Zack Galifianakis, also over-achieved and is running second. It took in $10.2 million Friday, which puts it on pace for a $29 million weekend, ahead of the $25 million analysts had projected. Audiences gave it a "B-" CinemaScore.
"Hope Springs," starring Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones as a longtime married couple seeking to breathe new life into their relationship, took in $4.7 million Friday. With a strong Saturday and Sunday, the PG-13 dramedy is looking at around $14 million for the weekend and could approach the high-teen millions for the five days since it opened Wednesday.
Warner Bros.' "Dark Knight Rises," which has perched atop the box office since it bowed on July 20, is holding well. The final installment in director Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy took in $5.6 million Friday, which sets it up for a weekend in the $20 million range.
Those numbers put the overall box office on track to match or top last year's comparable weekend, good news for an industry anxious to see a rebound. Moviegoing has been down since the Colorado shootings and have continued in a slump through the Olympics in London.
In its second week, Fox's "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days" had a $2.8 million Friday and may hit $9 million for the weekend. Another second week movie, Sony's "Total Recall," managed $2.4 million Friday and is on pace for a three-day total of $8 million.
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"Bourne Legacy" will end the reign of "Dark Knight Rises" this weekend, industry analysts say, and could help drive a rebound for the beleaguered U.S. box office.
Universal's fourth entry in its Bourne franchise -- the first with Jeremy Renner subbing in for Matt Damon as the lead -- is looking at a three-day total of around $35 million, they say. That should be enough to take down "Dark Knight Rises" and the other two wide openers, "Hope Springs" and "The Campaign."
Warner Bros.' political comedy "The Campaign" will take in around $25 million and Sony's marriage dramedy "Hope Springs," which opened to $2.2 million Wednesday, could hit $19 million by Sunday, according to the analysts. Add in another $18 million or so for Batman and this could be the weekend for a bounce-back at a box office first slammed by the Colorado shootings and since then, the Olympics.
"There are several strong movies out there and, with the exception of maybe 'Bourne Legacy' and 'Dark Knight Rises,' they're not really competing for the same moviegoers, so it could be a strong overall weekend,"Â BoxOffice.com editor-in-chief Phil Contrino told TheWrap .
The PG-13-rated action thriller "Bourne Legacy" could be a coming out party for Renner as a box-office star. Following his appearance in 2010's "The Hurt Locker," he's been in several blockbusters including "The Avengers," "Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol" and "Thor," but this time he'll be front and center.
Renner isn't the only one stepping into the spotlight on "Bourne Legacy." Tony Gilroy, who penned the first three screenplays with his brother Dan, is in the director's chair for the first time since he helmed "Duplicity" in 2009. Newcomers Rachel Weisz and Edward Norton join "Bourne" alums Albert Finney, Joan Allen and David Strathairn in the cast.
"The reviews have been good but not great," Contrino told TheWrap, "and that may have cost the film some momentum this week." Sixty percent of the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are positive, 59 percent at Movie Review Intelligence, and Metacritic gives it a 59 rating.
The tracking on "Bourne Legacy" is solid, particularly with older males, but it's been five years since "The Bourne Ultimatum" opened to $69 million and went to earn $227 million domestically. Universal is opening it in 3,746 theaters.
Just in time for election season, Warner Bros. is rolling out its R-rated comedy "The Campaign," featuring Will Ferrell and Zach Galafianakis as two Southern politicians vying for a Congressional seat. Jay Roach ("Little Fockers") directs. Dan Aykroyd and John Lithgow co-star.
Galafianakis has a track record of delivering for Warner Bros. in R-rated comedies, including the box office hits "Hangover" and 'Hangover 2," and was paired with Robert Downey Jr. in 2010's "Due Date," which made $100 million domestically.
Ferrell hasn't been in a wide release film since "The Other Guys" in 2010. That was a PG-13-rated action comedy with Mark Wahlberg and it made $119 million. He did voice work on "Megamind" but has otherwise recently steered clear of feature films, where his box office numbers have been uneven.
He followed Sony's "Step Brothers," which made $100 million in 2008, with "Land of the Lost," which took in just $49 million for Universal. "Blades of Glory" made $118 million for DreamWorks in 2007, but he followed that with New Line's "Semi-Pro," which managed just $33 million.
"The Campaign" is tracking strongly, very well with young women, and the critics like it. Seventy-seven percent of the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are positive, as are 70 percent on Movie Review Intelligence, though Metacritic gives it a 58 rating. Warner Bros. is releasing the film in 3,250 theaters.
"Hope Springs" features Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones as a longtime married couple who go to see a couples counselor (Steve Carrell) in hopes of breathing new life into their relationship. David Frankel ("Marley and Me") directs.
Tracking says "Hope Springs" is connecting with its core audience, which is female and couples over 25 years of age. It has resonated with critics, too. Seventy-seven percent of the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are positive and 70 percent on Movie Review Intelligence are, too. Metacritic gives it a 67 rating.
Sony is tempering expectations for the opening, projecting mid-teen millions for the five days. Mature audiences are generally less likely to rush out to see a film and might be more inclined to stay home and watch the Olympics, but Sony is counting on "Hope Springs" to show some legs for the next month. It is opening in 2,200 theaters.
Warners' "Dark Knight Rises" may lose its No. 1 spot, but is still going strong and it remains in 4,242 theaters. So far the final film in director Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy has run up $367 million domestically.
That's behind the franchise's previous film, "The Dark Knight," at the same point -- it had $410 million after 20 days in release -- but the latest film is pacing ahead of its predecessor overseas. "The Dark Knight Rises" has made $378 million abroad and run up $745 million worldwide in just under three weeks.
Warner Bros. remains confident the film will crack the $1 billion mark and be the most lucrative Batman film ever.
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