NORTH AMERICA: ‘Ninja Turtles’ Returns to First on Thursday with $4.32M; ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Follows Closely Behind with $4.23M

After falling to second on Wednesday, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles moved back into first place on Thursday with $4.32 million. Paramount’s high-profile franchise re-launch fell 16 percent from Wednesday. It should be noted that daily percentage declines were sharp in general on Thursday, in part from Lionsgate’s The Expendables 3 and The Weinstein Company’s The Giver both entering the marketplace on Thursday evening and in part from more and more schools now going back into session. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles exceeded expectations in a big way this week with a first place seven-day start of $89.24 million. That was an impressive 17 percent ahead of the $76.25 million seven-day take of 2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.

Disney’s Guardians of the Galaxy was also up one spot over Wednesday to finish in a very close second on Thursday with $4.23 million. The blockbuster sci-fi superhero adaptation was down 13 percent from Wednesday and down 45 percent from last Thursday. The film trailed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by just $96,190 for the day. Guardians of the Galaxy placed in second for the week with $63.15 million. That was down 53 percent from the film’s opening week performance and brings the film’s two-week total to $197.55 million. Guardians of the Galaxy is currently running 13 percent ahead of the $174.91 million two-week take of Captain America: The Winter Soldier earlier this year.

On the heels on Wednesday’s first place debut, Let’s Be Cops was down two spots and a reasonable 39 percent to place in third on Thursday with $3.20 million. The low-budget comedy from Fox has grossed a very solid $8.41 million in its first two days of release. That is in line with pre-release expectations and places the film 27 percent behind the $11.49 million two-day take of last year’s We’re the Millers. Let’s Be Cops will hope to experience a big uptick in business over the weekend, in part from being a non-sequel.

The Hundred-Foot Journey held steady in fourth place with $1.165 million. The modestly budgeted drama from Disney and DreamWorks was down 16 percent from Wednesday. The Hundred-Foot Journey finished in fourth place for the week with a seven-day start of $16.51 million. The film is performing in line with its modest expectations and is running 22 percent ahead of the $13.53 million seven-day take of Million Dollar Arm earlier this year.

Warner’s Into the Storm rounded out Thursday’s top five with $1.163 million. The modestly budgeted disaster film trailed The Hundred-Foot Journey by a very slim $1,497 for the day. Into the Storm was down 14 percent from Wednesday’s performance. Into the Storm performed in line with expectations this week with a third place start of $23.62 million over the seven-day frame.

Universal’s Lucy placed in sixth with $0.87 million. The sci-fi action film starring Scarlett Johansson finished in fifth for the week with $14.19 million. Lucy was down 47 percent from the previous weekly frame and continues to exceed expectations with a three-week take of $102.22 million.

News Stories