George Clooney and Julia Roberts‘ “Money Monster” took in a solid $5 million on Friday night, on track for a $14.5 million to $15 million opening weekend.
But that was no match for the second weekend of Disney/Marvel’s “Captain America: Civil War,” which earned $19 million on Friday and is expected to rake in $70 million for its second weekend (following a massive $179 million opening). To be fair, “Money Monster’ was made for about an eighth of what “Civil War” cost to produce — about $27 million.
“Money Monster,” directed by Jodie Foster, had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this week and has since garnered a Rotten Tomatoes score of 57 percent and a CinemaScore of B+. The film debuts in 15 territories overseas this weekend.
The film revolves around an angry TV viewer (Jack O’Connell) who takes matters into his own hands after a bad tip from a talk show host (Clooney) costs him his savings. As a hostage situation ensues in a television studio, it’s up to a quick-thinking producer (Roberts) to keep everyone safe.
Going into the weekend, tracking had suggested a debut of $10 million to $13 million. So it’s updated weekend estimate is not bad, considering “Captain America: Civil War’s” strong legs and the recent performance of adult-skewed dramas at the box office. For example, Steven Spielberg‘s “Bridge of Spies” debuted to $15 million last year.
Disney’s “The Jungle Book” is still going strong, vying for this weekend’s second place although “Money Monster” beat it on Friday night. It is expected to take in another estimated $16 million.
Kevin Bacon‘s “The Darkness” grossed an estimated $2.13 million and is looking at a $5 million to $5.4 million opening weekend.
Currently holding a CinemaScore of C, “The Darkness” is distributed by High Top (a label of Focus) and was made for a production budget of less than $5 million.
The horror film, which stars Bacon (who happens to be an alum of the original “Friday the 13th” movie) as a father warding off ancient Native American demons with his family, is tracking to debut somewhere in the $4 million to $5 million range.
With this movie, BH Tilt wanted to see whether there was an efficient middle ground between a wide theatrical release and straight-to-VOD, and therefore selected 1,755 locations that were frequented by die-hard genre fans.
And rounding off the weekend is Garry Marshall‘s “Mother’s Day,” starring Roberts, Jennifer Aniston, Jason Sudeikis and Kate Hudson. By Sunday, the film’s total gross will be an estimated $29 million.