Once again, Ride Along easily won the box office this weekend, while I, Frankenstein failed to spark any real interest. Ride Along earned an estimated $21.1 this weekend, bringing its total to $75.4 in the US. It shouldn't have any problem crossing the $100 million mark over the next couple of weeks. Lone Survivor is nearly at the $100 million mark and earned $12.6 million this weekend, taking second place.
For many horror movies released to theaters, not having a huge opening weekend isn't a big deal because of their low production budgets. In the case of I, Frankenstein, its budget is estimated at $65 million, so its performance is a disappointment any way you look at it. It seems like Lionsgate was trying to attract the Underworld crowd, but the first entry in that series had a modest $22 million production budget. It's unlikely to make back $65 even when you factor in international ticket sales, so Lionsgate will have to hope for strong Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD interest if they want to get out of the red with this one.
Next week sees the wide release of Labor Day and That Awkward Moment. Here are the top ten releases for this weekend:
1. Ride Along - $21,162,000
2. Lone Survivor - $12,601,000
3. The Nut Job - $12,316,000
4. Frozen - $9,035,000
5. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit - $8,800,000
6. I, Frankenstein - $8,275,000
7. American Hustle - $7,100,000
8. August: Osage County - $5,041,000
9. The Wolf of Wall Street - $5,000,000
10. Devil’s Due - $2,750,000