‘Hobbs & Shaw’ speeds ahead
‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’ opens at No. 2, while ‘Dora’ opens in fourth place.
As the summer of sequels dies down, studios are beginning to roll out more dramas and family films in the run-up to fall. However, none of the weekend’s five new wide releases managed to topple Universal’s “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” from the top spot at the box office.
The film, now in its second weekend, added $25.4 million for a cumulative $108.5 million, according to estimates from measurement firm Comscore. Internationally, it made $60.8 million this weekend for a global cumulative of $332.6 million.
Leading the newcomers, Lionsgate, eOne and CBS Films’ “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” debuted in second place with $20.8 million, within analyst projections of $20 million to $22 million.
Adapted from Alvin Schwartz’s bestselling children’s horror book series, the film was produced by Guillermo del Toro and directed by André Ovredal. The PG-13 movie earned a mixed reception with a C CinemaScore from audiences and an 80% “fresh” rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.
Despite “Scary Stories” scoring the second biggest opening ever for CBS Films, the studio is shutting down this year.
At No. 3, Disney’s “The Lion King” added $20 million in its fourth weekend for a cumulative $473.1 million. Globally, the film stands at $1.33 billion.
In fourth place, Paramount’s “Dora and the Lost City of Gold” opened with $17 million, as analysts projected.
An adaptation of the popular Nickelodeon cartoon, the film was well-received, with an A CinemaScore and 81% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The “Dora” result continues Paramount’s run of solid but unspectacular performances this summer following “Rocketman” and “Crawl.”
Rounding out the top five, Sony’s “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood” added $11.6 million in its third weekend for a cumulative $100.3 million, the only original film of the summer to cross the $100-million milestone.
At No. 6, Fox and Disney opened the dramedy “The Art of Racing in the Rain” with $8.1 million, in range of analyst projections of $8 million to $9 million.
It earned an A minus CinemaScore but a 48% “rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The film is the latest disappointment for Fox, which hasn’t had a true hit since last year’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Following the studio’s merger with Disney in March, every release has flopped, including “Dark Phoenix” and “Stuber.”
Also new this week, Bleecker Street opened the based-on-a-true-story indie drama “Brian Banks” with $2.1 million, in range of analyst projections of $2 million.
In limited release, Roadside Attractions and Armory Films opened the Shia LaBeouf comedy “The Peanut Butter Falcon” in 17 locations to $205,236 for a perscreen average of $12,108. It earned a 96% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Sony Pictures Classics opened “After the Wedding” in five locations to $57,124 for a per-screen average of $11,425.