MALEFICENT topped this weekend’s box office chart in the US, raking in a spectacular $70 million. That’s $10 million more than projections suggested, and $14 million more than a similarly themed SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN managed to bring in on the same weekend 2 years ago. The mixture of darker twists on family favourites is proving to be a real box office winner, with OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL also another successful film in that bracket. This also proved that Angelina Jolie is still a strong box office draw despite not having appeared in a major role since 2010’s THE TOURIST. MALEFICENT may experience a sharp drop off next week with the arrival of HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2, which looks set to draw in parents and kiddies alike.
Elsewhere in the box office, Seth MacFarlane’s second live action outing after TED, A MILLION WAYS TO DIE IN THE WEST, proved not to be as bankable as a cartoon bear after finishing in third place with just $17 million to its name. Perhaps MacFarlane appearing in physical form in the lead as well as aping Westerns, not exactly the biggest draw to cinemas in recent years, was a mix that audiences weren’t intrigued by.
X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST experienced a big drop, going down 64% from its first week’s take. That still means it has managed $162 million domestically in just two weeks, but I’m sure Fox were hoping for a few more pennies. GODZILLA also continued on a path of destruction despite heavy competition with an extra $12 million to add to the kitty.
Probably most impressive of all is Jon Favreau’s CHEF, which managed to stay in the top 10 with $2 million despite only showing in 624 cinemas in the US. This pushes up the take to nearly $7 million after 4 weeks in limited release.
Weekend Box-Office
1. Maleficent $70,000,000 $70
2. X-Men: Days of Future Past $32,600,000 $162
3. A Million Ways to Die in the West $17,069,000 $17
4. Godzilla $12,225,000 $174.6
5. Blended $8,425,000 $29.6
6. Neighbors $7,715,000 $128.6
7. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 $3,775,000 $192.7
8. Million Dollar Arm $3,700,000 $28
9. Chef $2,009,000 $6.9
10. The Other Woman $1,425,000 $81.1
