'Elysium' Underwhelms
Welcome to the Box Office Report, where a bald Matt Damon holding a big gun will always just be a bald Matt Damon holding a big gun.
.Welcome to the Box Office Report, where a bald Matt Damon holding a big gun will always just be a bald Matt Damon holding a big gun.
1. Elysium (Sony): $30.4 million in 3,284 theaters
Elysium's respectable first weekend tally is a bit of a disappointment, apparently, because expectations were so high. District 9 debuted with $37.4 million in a similar summer timeslot, in mid-August 2009, so there were hopes this could match or surpass that. We know who Neil Blomkamp is now, Matt Damon was starring and it was supposed to be the smart summer blockbuster that saved us all. Part of those expectations were dashed earlier this week when the flick landed with a thud instead of a bang among critics, and that reception seems to have carried over at the box office.
2. We're the Millers (Warner): $26.6 million in 3,260 theaters
This delightfully wacky comedy had lower expectations, and while it's not a breakout hit, this is certainly respectable for Jason Sudeikis' big post-Saturday Night Live movie debut. There may be hope for that boy yet.
3. Planes (Disney): $22.5 million in 3,702 theaters
And then there's Planes, the Disney movie designed to look like a Pixar movie. It's a Cars spin-off because, you know, all modes of transportation can speak in this hellscape. That Planes made this much money with the glut of family movies playing right now is a testament to the power of the familiar. Tune in next summer for the third instalment in this series, Trains.
4. Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (Fox): $14.6 million in 3,031 theaters
Poor little Percy Jackson is the last new movie on this list. There are four new movies this week! Which is great for box office writers tired of talking about Despicable Me 2 but it also means there's gotta be a loser, and it seems Percy Jackson it is it. Sorry, Percy. He seems like such a nice kid, too.
5. 2 Guns (Universal): $11.1 million in 3,028 theaters [Week 2]
And picking up the slack is the weekend's only top five holdover, the one about two old guys being tough and shooting things.