Meg takes big chomp out of competition
LOS ANGELES — Warner Bros.’ over-the-top sci-fi thriller The Meg took an unexpectedly massive chomp out of the North American box office over the weekend with $44.5 million in ticket sales, according to figures from measurement firm ComScore.
The film, about a giant prehistoric shark that terrorizes beachgoers, more than doubled analysts’ projections of $18 million to $22 million and is the biggest August opening since Suicide Squad two years ago. Released simultaneously in the U.S. and China, it earned $96.8 million internationally (including $50.3 million in China) for a global cumulative of $141.3 million.
“It just really speaks to the fun-ness of the movie,” said Jeff Goldstein, the studio’s distribution chief, who added that the marketing campaign “didn’t take itself seriously and really played into the popcorn nature of the film.”
“It’s a little bit on the campy side, a little bit cheesy, but in a fun way,” Goldstein added.
He noted the timing for the picture was also right. “I think the date really stands out. A shark movie, you want to see it at the end of the summer.”
Starring action vet Jason Statham as a deep-sea rescue driver who is the only man capable of defeating the 70-foot carnivore, The Meg cost at least $130 million to produce, according to estimates, and is based on an obscure 1997 pulp novel. It earned a B-plus rating on CinemaScore and a 49 per cent “rotten” rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.
In second place, Paramount’s Mission: Impossible — Fallout, now in its third weekend, added $20 million for a cumulative $162 million.
Disney’s Christoper Robin came in third, adding an additional $12.4 million in its second weekend for a cumulative $50 million.
Sony Screen Gems’ horror movie Slender Man debuted at No. 4 with $11.3 million. The film earned a rare D-minus score on CinemaScore and a 15 per cent “rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Rounding out the top five, Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman opened with $10.8 million.