The “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” reboot finally came out of its shell on Thursday, scoring $4.6 million in evening showings in 2,651 theaters.
Paramount estimates that the film, which was directed by Jonathan Liebesman and produced by Michael Bay, will make somewhere in the mid-to-high $40 million in its opening weekend. The film, listed at a budget of $125 million, is rumored to have cost closer to $150 million.
Also read: ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Review: Michael Bay’s Reboot an Empty Shell
It will run a tight race with the defending champion “Guardians of the Galaxy,” the Marvel/Disney hit that took in over $94 million last weekend and has been scoring big time in weekday shows. It scored the summer’s biggest Monday and Tuesday ($11.7 and $11.6 million, respectively) and added $8.8 million on Wednesday, bringing its pre-Thursday total to $126 million domestic.
“Ninja Turtles,” which stars Megan Fox and Will Arnett alongside a bunch of digital turtles, will open in 17 international markets, including Russia and Mexico.
The reviews for “Ninja Turtles” have been less than kind; currently it sits at 21 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, though its target audience probably isn’t consulting critics before asking their parents to purchase tickets.
Warner Bros.’ tornado thriller, “Into the Storm,” whipped up $800,000 in Thursday evening showings.