Suicide Squadmay have secured the top spot at the Box Office this weekend, but it’sSausage Partythat has cause for celebration. The R-rated animated pic from writer-producersSeth RogenandEvan Goldbergcame in ahead of predictions with $33.6 million from 3,103 theaters (a sum that could rise to $34M by the end of the day) to secure the biggest opening for an R-rated comedy in over a year and surpass 2013’sPlanesas the highest grossing animated movie in August. It also easily became the highest grossing R-rated animated movie of all time, which isn’t surprising considering the rarity of the genre, but all the same,Sausage Partyeasily defeated previous record holderTeam America: World Policewhich opened to $12.1M in 2004 (around $15.4M, adjusted for inflation).
Greg TiernanandConrad Vernondirected the raunchy comedy, which earned critical acclaim but only a B CinemaScore from audiences (not too surprising when you consider the subject matter). Sausage Party features the voices ofSeth Rogen,Kristen Wiig,Edward Norton,Salma HayekandNick Krollas various foodstuffs who learn the gruesome truth about what happens when you leave the grocery store (aka, you get ‘et).
WhileSausage Partyoverperformed,Suicide Squadfell a bit below predictions, suffering a 67% drop in its second weekend with $43.8M from 4,255 theaters. Following in the footsteps ofBatman v Superman(which fell 69%), it’s one of the biggest second frame declines for a studio superhero movie. All the same,David Ayer’s hotly debated DCEU entry snagged another week in the #1 spot, and sharing another quality with Batman v Superman, the film has already amassed an impressive box office sum.Suicide Squadnow stands at $465.4M worldwide, with $222.9M domestically and $242.5M internationally, where this weekend’s numbers tallied another $58.7M from 62 markets.
IfSuicide Squadfell short of expectations, the weekend’s biggest disappointment was Disney’s lovelyPete’s Dragonremake, which mustered only $21.5M from 3,702 theaters in its opening weekend (on a $65M budget) to take the third spot. Directed byDavid Lowery, the CGI/Live-action hybrid remake of the 1977 family film starsRobert Redford,Bryce Dallas Howard,Oakes Fegley,Wes BentleyandKarl Urban. The good news is that the film is a hit with critics and audiences alike, holding an 86% on RottenTomatoes and earning a glowing A cinemascore, which bodes well for possible word-of-mouth legs at the Box Office. But it’s yet another reminder that audiences have tired of sequels, remakes and retreads – even the good ones.
The weekend’s third new release,Stephen Frears’Florence Foster Jenkins, which starsMeryl Streepas a real-life New York heiress who bought her way to her dream of singing at Carnegie Hall, opened to a slight $6.6M in 1,528 locations.
Universal’sJason Bourneadded another $13.6M, coming in fourth at the weekend Box Office and pushing its domestic cume to $126.8M. Rounding out the Top 5 is STX Entertainment’s raunchy female-led comedyBad Moms, which pulled in another $11.4M. That brings the fledgling studio’s breakout summer hit to $71.5M, a terrific (and still growing) sum for a $20M budget.
The weekend holds one other lowkey surprise success story with CBS Films/Lionsgate’sHell or High Water, the critically celebrated Western from directorDavid Mackenzie, which currently holds a 99% on Rotten Tomatoes (read our positive review righthere). In only 32 locations,Hell or High Waterearned a tremendous $592,000 for a per-screen average of $18,500. Chris Pine and Jeff Bridges lead the film, and the studio plans to keep expanding the film in the coming weeks.
Check out the full Top 10 estimates below.
Weekend Gross
Total Gross
Suicide Squad
$43,770,000
$222,874,728
Sausage Party
$33,600,000
Pete’s Dragon
$20,501,000
Jason Bourne
$13,620,000
$126,782,345
$11,450,000
$71,461,293
The Secret Life of Pets
$8,840,000
$335,942,075
Star Trek Beyond
$6,800,000
$139,697,949
Florence Foster Jenkins
$6,580,000
Nine Lives
$3,500,000
$13,550,825
Light’s Out
$3,220,000
$61,134,818
In the week’s other limited release, Bleecker Street debuted the World War II thrillerAnthropoidin 452 theaters, earning $1.2 million.
