Nerds, rejoice! A sci-fi adventure with lukewarm reviews beat out a cliche-laced roadtrip comedy and Dane Cook’s latest attempt at being a movie star to win this weekend’s top box office spot.
According to early reports making their way across the internet, Neill Blomkamp’s Elysium has sealed the number one spot at the box office with $30.5 million in ticket sales. The debut is slightly smaller than Blomkamp’s 2009 film District 9, which opened just over $37, but impressive for a late summer sci-fi release nonetheless.
Following hot on the heels of Elysium is roadtrip comedy We’re The Millers, which beat expectations with $26.6 million over the Friday-to-Sunday period. The film, which opened on Wednesday last week, has earned $38 million to date.
The big letdown of the weekend came from Disney’s latest CGI tale, Planes, which opened super soft with $22 million in receipts. The animated feature was originally planned as a direct-to-dvd, but was then turned into a theatrical effort following strong early buzz. As far as we know, Dane Cook has yet to comment with a terrible joke in defense.
All in all, the weekend did not deliver too many surprises. Elysium will need good word of mouth to continue to succeed, but even if it dips heavily in the coming weeks both Blomkamp and Damon will be a-okay. The top 5 for the weekend is as follows:
1. Elysium – $30.5 million
2. We’re the Millers – $26.6 million
3. Planes – $22.5 million
4. Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters – $14.6 million
5. 2 Guns – $11.1 million
Did you see a movie this weekend? Sound off in the comments with your reviews!
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