Carrying the box office on the wings of its second weekend, airplane drama “Sully” emerged the victor with $22 million from 3,525 locations.
Grosses for the Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow true life drama, starring Tom Hanks and directed by Clint Eastwood, have been flying high since its bigger-than-expected $35-million bow last weekend.
Made for $60 million (not counting the studio’s marketing spend), the movie’s domestic total is now $70.5 million. $10 million of its global total is from IMAX screens alone.
Lionsgate’s sequel to the 1999 found-footage classic “The Blair Witch Project” petered out on its debut. Initially expected to open at No. 1 to more than $23 million, it made an estimated $9.7 million to come in at second place. (Though Lionsgate’s previous estimates were in the mid-to-high teens.)
“Blair Witch” grossed only $4.1 million on Friday in 3,121 theaters, lowering three-day estimates by more than 50 percent.
The movie — about a group of friends who return to a haunted forest in search of a young man’s sister — was produced for a very modest budget of roughly $5 million.
It has a dismal D+ CinemaScore, measuring response from opening-night moviegoers, and a low 38 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
The overall weekend came in very low, with the box office off by an estimated 23 percent compared with the same weekend last year, according to comScore, when “Maze Runner 2” and “Black Mass” delivered a $53 million one-two punch.
“Bridget Jones’s Baby” opened to $8.2 million for third place.
Universal, Miramax, StudioCanal and Working Title’s rom-com sequel starring Oscar winner Renée Zellweger was previously expected to gross just more than $14 million over the weekend — but was downgraded.
Open in 2,927 theaters and produced for $35 million, the third installment in the series, following 2001’s “Bridget Jones’s Diary” and 2004’s “Edge of Reason,” also marks the return of Colin Firth, with Patrick Dempsey and Emma Thompson as added newcomers.
Directed by Sharon Maguire, who also helmed “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” the new movie reveals that Bridget is unexpectedly pregnant. It has a respectable 78 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and a B+ CinemaScore.
It’s playing better overseas, opening to $30 million in 39 territories.
Meanwhile, Open Road’s historical drama “Snowden” came in fourth with $8 million. Directed by Oliver Stone and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as N.S.A. whistleblower Edward Snowden, the movie is playing on 2,443 screens and was produced for $40 million.
Its A CinemaScore could help boost its second-weekend playability. Critics didn’t love it, however, as reflected in its Rotten Tomatoes score of 56 percent.
Pure Flix Entertainment documentary “Hillsong: Let Hope Rise” made an estimated $1.3 million from 816 locations. The movie, about Aussie Christian band Hillsong, has an A CinemaScore and a 60 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Top Five:
1. “Sully” (Warner Bros.) — $22 million in Week 2 ($70.5 million total)
2. “Blair Witch” (Lionsgate) — $9.7 million in Week 1 ($9.7 million total)
3. “Bridget Jones’s Baby” (Universal) — $8.2 million in Week 1 ($8.2 million total)
4. “Snowden” (Open Road) — $8 million in Week 1 ($8 million total)
5. “Don’t Breathe” (Sony) — $5.6 million in Week 4 ($75.3 million total)