NORTH AMERICA: ‘The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’ Moves Into First Place on Thursday with $0.84M; ‘CHAPPiE’ Falls to Second with $0.81M

Fox Searchlight’s The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was up one spot from Wednesday to move into first place on Thursday with $0.843 million. The ensemble comedy sequel was still down a sizable 9 percent from Wednesday, as it took a clear hit from Disney’s Cinderella and Warner’s Run All Night both entering the marketplace on Thursday night (Thursday night grosses for both new releases will be counted towards their respective Friday performances). The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel placed in third for the week with a seven-day start of $12.36 million. That was towards the higher end of pre-release expectations and places the film 25 percent behind the $16.51 million seven-day start of last year’s The Hundred-Foot Journey.

Sony’s CHAPPiE was down one spot and a sharp 16 percent from Wednesday to fall to second with $0.809 million. The Neill Blomkamp directed sci-fi film took an additional hit from losing IMAX screens to Cinderella on Thursday night. While CHAPPiE placed in first for the week with a seven-day start of $17.61 million, the film performed below its already modest pre-release expectations. CHAPPiE is running a very disappointing 58 percent behind the $42.31 million seven-day take of 2013’s Elysium and a slim 3 percent ahead of the $17.10 million seven-day start of 2011’s Paul.

Focus held steady in third place with $0.807 million. Warner’s romantic heist film starring Will Smith and Margot Robbie was down 5 percent from Wednesday and down a healthy 33 percent from last Thursday. Focus placed in second for the week with $13.67 million. That represented a reasonable 44 percent decline from the film’s opening week performance and brings the film’s two-week total to $38.23 million.

Fox’s Kingsman: The Secret Service grossed $0.732 million to remain in fourth. The Matthew Vaughn directed graphic novel adaptation starring Colin Firth fell just 2 percent from Wednesday and a slim 19 percent from last Thursday. Kingsman finished in fourth for the week with $11.45 million. The film was down only 27.5 percent from the previous week and has grossed a stronger than expected $101.17 million in four weeks.

Fifty Shades of Grey rounded out the day’s top five with $0.502 million. Universal’s successful erotic romantic drama was down 3 percent from Wednesday and down a solid 37 percent from last Thursday. Fifty Shades of Grey placed in sixth for the week with $7.64 million. That represented a 45.5 percent decline from the previous frame and brings the film’s four-week total to a strong $158.48 million.

Meanwhile, Fox’s Unfinished Business rounded out its very disappointing first week of release with a tenth place take of $0.346 million on Thursday. The Vince Vaughn led R-rated comedy fell 7 percent from Wednesday’s performance. Unfinished Business managed just $6.38 million in its first seven days of release, which placed the film in eighth place for the frame.

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