‘Magnificent Seven’ rides to $35 million debut
NEW YORK — Movie stars don’t open movies anymore? Tell that to Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks.
The pair, once co-stars in “Philadelphia,” have together dominated the last three weeks of the box office. After Clint Eastwood’s Miracle on the Hudson docudrama “Sully,” starring Hanks as Captain Chesley Sullenberger, topped ticket sales of the last two weeks, “The Magnificent Seven” rode Washington’s star power to an estimated $35 million debut over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Though both Washington and Hanks are in their early 60s, their box-office clout might be just as potent as ever. The debut of “Sully” was Hanks’ fourth best opening of his career; the opening of “The Magnificent Seven,” Antoine Fuqua’s remake of John Sturges’ 1960 Western (itself a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai”), is Washington’s third best.
Both films boasted other enticements. Eastwood is himself a draw. And the ensemble of “The Magnificent Seven” most notably includes Chris Pratt, the “Guardians of the Galaxy” star and a potential heir apparent to Washington and Hanks.
But Washington and Hanks ranked as the overwhelming reason audiences went to see either movie, according to comScore’s survey of moviegoers.
Sony Pictures’ “The Magnificent Seven” wasn’t cheap to make — it cost about $90 million — so its path to profitability isn’t assured. Directed by Fuqua (whose “Training Day” and “The Equalizer” also starred Washington), the film made splashy premieres at both the Toronto International Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival.
“The Magnificent Seven” was filmed in New Mexico.
Coming in at a distant second was Warner Bros.’ “Storks,” an animated release where the large-winged birds have given up the baby delivery business for online sales. The film, which cost about $70 million to make, opened with $21.8 million. Directed by Nicholas Stoller and Doug Sweetland, its voice cast is led by Andy Samberg.
The rest of the top 10 was populated by holdovers, with “Sully” slotting in at third with $13.8 million in its third week. It has now grossed $92.4 million domestically.
“The Magnificent Seven” slots in as one of the biggest openings for a Western ever, though the genre’s heyday predated modern wide releases. The only Westerns to debut better, not accounting for inflation, bent the genre in other directions: sci-fi in the case of “Cowboys & Aliens” ($36.4 million in 2011) and animation in “Rango” ($38.1 million, also in 2011).