Weekend Box Office (July 29 - 31, 2016)


by Gitesh Pandya

THIS WEEKEND Hacking into government computers seems to be all the rage these days and maybe that will help Matt Damon who reunites with director Paul Greengrass for Jason Bourne, their first new installment together in this series in nine years. This is the third Bourne movie for the filmmaker, fourth for the star, and fifth overall in the Universal franchise which has grossed over $1.2 billion to date around the world.

The new chapter has excitement around it sparked by Damon and Greengrass returning to the series. But franchise fatigue will also be an issue as some may just be over this character and not looking for a new story. Reviews have been mixed so critics are not enthusiastically recommending this picture. Damon is coming off of The Martian which edged out The Bourne Ultimatum to become the highest-grossing film of his career. Good will for the actor may spill over into this piece of familiar entertainment.

Outside of comic book movies, live-action films all year have had trouble opening north of $50M. Jason Bourne should be able to break that mark, but is unlikely to set a franchise high. Overseas markets have grown significantly since Ultimatum so globally, this could very well become the top-grossing chapter among the five films. Attacking over 4,000 theaters, Jason Bourne may open to around $57M.

Celebrating its one year anniversary as a distributor, STX unleashes the wild comedy Bad Moms aiming for adult women with a dose of raunchy humor. The R-rated film packs in some nice starpower with Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn, Christina Applegate and Jada Pinkett Smith. Reviews have been lackluster.

But the concept and funny trailers will help drive in business, in addition to the cast, of course. Bourne has more cross-gender appeal so that may take away part of the adult crowd. R-rated comedies have struggled this year so Bad Moms really needs to satisfy audiences in order to get strong buzz going to convince others. Opening in over 3,200 locations, Bad Moms could debut to around $23M.

The teen thriller Nerve will tap into this summer's successful string of low-budget movies that offer scares and chills. Lionsgate's PG-13 entry kicked off its run on Wednesday with $3.75M and is generating good buzz with its target crowd of teenagers and young adults. Reviews are mixed, but this one will sell more on slick trailers and social media buzz. Now playing in 2,538 locations, Nerve may take in about $10M over the weekend and $16M across five days.

Star Trek Beyond docked at number one last weekend and should face the type of sophomore slide customary of a sci-fi sequel. Bourne will also be pulling away action-loving men so that will contribute as well. A 55% drop would be commendable in this case. That would put Paramount at about $26M for the session and a cume to date of $108M.

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Watch the trailer for Wonder Woman.


LAST YEAR Tom Cruise opened his fifth spy flick Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation in first place with $55.5M on its way to $195M domestic and $680M worldwide for Paramount. The new comedy sequel Vacation bowed in second with $14.7M heading to a $58.9M finish for Warner Bros. Holdovers rounded out the top five with Ant-Man at $12.8M, Minions at $12.4M, and Pixels at $10.5M.


LAST WEEKEND's TOP 20


Last Updated: July 28, 2016 at 4:25PM ET


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