Weekend Box Office (September 23 - 25, 2016)


by Gitesh Pandya

THIS WEEKEND After a two-year absence, multiplexes will see the return of one of Hollywood's most bankable superstars, Denzel Washington. The consistent box office draw headlines the ensemble Western remake The Magnificent Seven directed by Antoine Fuqua marking the third collaboration between the star and filmmaker. The PG-13 film also features a large cast that includes rising star Chris Pratt as well as Ethan Hawke who reteams with his Training Day director and co-star.

When it comes to bankability, there really is nobody else around like Denzel right now. Outside of one directorial project he co-starred in, all twelve of his films over the past 12 years have opened north of $20M. None were sequels and most were rated R. Audiences know that Denzel equals quality. He draws in audiences of all races and tends to skew mature. That works perfectly for Seven which has the added bonus of being a Western, a genre that still has plenty of fans as long as the film is good. Sony is also offering an IMAX release as it did on the Oscar winner's last film The Equalizer which bowed to a sturdy $34.1M this same weekend in 2014. MGM co-produced this new $90M film.

Reviews have been mixed but generally upbeat just like they were for Equalizer so this should sell more on star wattage than critical acclaim. Tom Hanks hit the mid 30s with Sully two weeks ago and Denzel might find himself in a similar neighborhood. Opening in 3,665 theaters, The Magnificent Seven may take in around $38M this weekend.

Kids have a new choice to flock to with the animated comedy Storks. The PG-rated vehicle comes from Warner Bros. which is not as big of a name brand in the world of cartoon movies as Pixar, DreamWorks, or Illumination so there is no built-in audience here to tap into. But it does promise a level of fun, families have very few options right now, and there is decent starpower in the voice cast including Jennifer Aniston who earned plenty of publicity this week for doing nothing. Lack of competition in the marketplace should be a big factor this weekend. Opening in 3,922 locations, Storks may collect about $26M this weekend.

Tom Hanks is well on his way to another $100M hit with Sully, and may just do it again later this fall with Inferno. For this weekend, the two-time champ will get bumped from the top spot by his Philadelphia co-star but a solid third round should still result despite mature adults being taken away. A 40% decline would put Sully at about $13M boosting the cume for Warner Bros. to $91M.

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Read the review of the Jungle Book Blu-ray.

Watch the trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.


LAST YEAR The toon sequel Hotel Transylvania 2 easily topped the box office and became one of the rare sequels to open bigger than its predecessor. Sony enjoyed a $48.5M debut breaking the all-time September opening record heading to a $169.7M final. Warner Bros. went after adult women with The Intern which opened to $17.7M and legged its way to $75.8M. Holdovers followed with Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials at $14.3M, Everest at $13.2M, and Black Mass at $11M.


LAST WEEKEND's TOP 20


Last Updated: September 22, 2016 at 3:05PM ET


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