Disney’s “Maleficent” is running away with the weekend crown after a $24.2 million first day Friday, but how powerful a box-office spell Angelina Jolie‘s live-action fairy tale casts remains to be seen.
It’s on pace to top $65 million and still has a shot at $70 million, depending on the extent to which the mini-van crowd turns out on Saturday and Sunday. It received an “A” CinemaScore from fan girl-dominated first night audiences, so word of mouth should be strong, and there’s not much competition for families.
Fox’s “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” last week’s No. 1 movie, was a distant second and heading for a $31 million weekend after taking in $9.4 million Friday. That would be a roughly 66 percent drop from the Marvel mutant mashup’s $90 million debut, steep given its strong reviews and “A” CinemaScore.
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Universal’s “A Million Ways to Die in the West,” the weekend’s only other wide opener, was third on Friday with just over $6 million. That puts Seth MacFarlane’s R-rated comedy Western, the followup to his hit 2012 comedy “Ted,” on pace for a $16 million weekend that would be short of expectations that were modest to begin with. It received a “B” CinemaScore.
It was never a fair fight. Disney’s $180 million effects-heavy “Sleeping Beauty” update is in 3,948 theaters, mostly premium-priced 3D and all the IMAX locations, and “Days of Future Past” is on a market-high 4,001. The $40 million “A Million Ways to Die,” a co-production with Media Rights Capital, is in 3,158.
Things didn’t improve much for “Blended,” the Adam Sandler-Drew Barrymore romantic comedy. It took in $2.4 million Friday and is looking at a $7.6 million second week for Warner Bros., which would be a decent 45 percent drop. It was running fifth, behind “Godzilla.” The monster remake from Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. is heading for an $11 million third week after taking in $3.3 million Friday. It’s up to $165 million domestically and is over $330 million worldwide.
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Another of Universal’s R-rated comedies, “Neighbors,” took in $2.4 million Friday and was looking at sixth place and around $7.2 million for the three days. That would raise the domestic total for the Seth Rogen-Zac Efron frat vs. family tale to $128 million in is fourth week.
Sony’s “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” and Disney’s Jon Hamm baseball movie “Million Dollar Arm” were battling for seventh, with both looking at around $3.5 million for the weekend. Sony’s Marvel superhero sequel is about to cross $190 million domestically and has taken in more than $680 million worldwide in five weeks.
Open Road Films’ Jon Favreau food truck comedy “Chef” and Fox’s “The Other Woman” were ninth and tenth. The Cameron Diaz comedy will top $80 million domestically this weekend, its sixth.
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“Maleficent” also debuts this weekend in 47 foreign markets and has already taken in more than $20 million overseas. “A Million Ways to Die in the West” rolls out in 22 overseas territories this weekend.