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'The Fault in Our Stars' Rises at Box Office; Tom Cruise Stalls

Welcome to the Box Office Report where America and Tom Cruise both need a tissue.

By Adam Chandler
This article is from the archive of our partner .

Welcome to the Box Office Report where America and Tom Cruise both need a tissue.

1. The Fault in Our Stars (Fox): $48.2 million in 3,193 theaters.

A romantic tear-jerker about two teenage cancer patients who fall in love. An audience that was 82 percent female. A marketing masterstroke mixed with some good acting, some very strong critics reviews, some raving audience feedback. That's how you get to number one on a $12 million budget. Check out our interview with writer John Green for some real insights on the project.

2. Maleficent (Buena Vista): $33.5 million in 3,948 theaters.

Maleficent took a tumble in its sophmore frame, but managed to hold onto the number two spot despite some less-than-encouraging reviews. Nevertheless, the rule should hold: Put Angelina Jolie in the spotlight, add some special effects, and that'll probably be enough to carry you through.

3. Edge of Tomorrow (Warner Brothers): $29.1 million in 3,490 theaters.

Poor Tom Cruise. Despite some pretty rave reviews, Edge of Tomorrow (as we predicted) is proving to be a movie beloved by a limited cinema-going audience. While the sci-fi flick performed well overseas, bringing it within striking distance of its $180 million budget, it failed to garner hype here. Maybe some strong word-of-mouth will keep this one on the list for a few more weeks.

4. X-Men: Days of Future Past (Fox): $14.7 million in 3,639 theaters.

Yes, this movie is making a boatload of money overseas, but in just three weeks, the latest in this Marvel franchise has gone from about $91 million to just under $15 million at home. Given the strong reviews, this seems like a symptom of franchise fatigue.

5. A Million Ways to Die in the West (Universal): $7.2 million in 3,160 theaters.

Critics hated it. Audiences luke-warmed it. And after one meek Week One opening, Seth MacFarlane's Western comedy homage stumbled by half to the bottom of the top. This is already looking like a forgettable blip in MacFarlane's career, right next to his turn as Oscar host.

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.