NORTH AMERICA: ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ on the Verge of becoming 2014’s #1 Film; ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Surpasses $150M Mark

Disney’s Guardians of the Galaxy grossed $1.56 million on Thursday to continue to claim first place at the daily box office. In the process, the blockbuster sci-fi superhero adaptation from Marvel surpassed the $257.75 million take of The LEGO Movie to become the second highest grossing release of 2014 thus far domestically. With a four-week total of $258.29 million, Guardians of the Galaxy will surpass the $259.77 million final gross of Captain America: The Winter Solider today, to move into first place for 2014. Guardians of the Galaxy was up 4 percent over Wednesday and down a healthy 39 percent from last Thursday. The film claimed first place for the week with $24.04 million, which represented a 34.5 percent decline from the previous frame.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles held steady in second place with $1.08 million. In the process, Paramount’s successful franchise re-launch surpassed the $150 million domestic mark on Thursday. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was down 1 percent from Wednesday and down 54 percent from last Thursday. The film placed in second for the week with $21.85 million. That was a 45 percent decline from the previous week and brings the film’s three-week total to an impressive $150.66 million.

Warner’s If I Stay took in an estimated $1.04 million to remain in third. The low-budget drama starring Chloë Grace Moretz was down a slim 1 percent from Wednesday. If I Stay placed in third for the week with a seven-day start of $20.56 million. That was towards the lower end of pre-release expectations and places the film 2 percent ahead of the $20.12 million seven-day take of last year’s Carrie.

Let’s Be Cops followed in fourth place with $0.85 million. Fox’s low-budget action-comedy fell 4 percent from Wednesday and 48 percent from last Thursday. Let’s Be Cops placed in fourth for the week with $14.88 million. That represented a 42 percent decline from the previous week and brings the film’s 16-day total to a very solid $49.12 million. Let’s Be Cops is set to surpass the $50 million mark today.

Relativity’s The November Man rounded out the day’s unchanged top five with $0.83 million. The action thriller starring Pierce Brosnan was down 4 percent from Wednesday. The November Man has grossed $1.69 million in two days. That is just below the $1.90 million two-day Pre-Labor Day weekend start of The Debt back in 2011.

Sony’s When the Game Stands Tall and The Weinstein Company’s Sin City: A Dame to Kill For rounded out their first weeks of release with respective grosses of $0.52 million and $0.42 million on Thursday. When the Game Stands Tall increased 2 percent over Wednesday, while Sin City: A Dame to Kill For was down a troubling 11 percent. For the week, When the Game Stands Tall performed just below expectations with a modest seven-day start of $10.67 million and Sin City: A Dame To Kill For disappointed in a very big way with a seven-day start of just $8.59 million.

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