"Ender's Game" won the box office over the weekend with a decent opening but failed to become the next big franchise.
The science fiction film opened to an estimated $28 million, which was far less than other franchise films such as "Harry Potter," "The Hunger Games" and "Twilight." The film was more on par with "Golden Compass" and "Eragon," films intended to jump start new franchises and future sequels that were ultimately cancelled after after failing to capture good earnings.
The next weeks will be crucial for "Ender's Game" if Summit is to invest in a sequel. However, with "Thor: The Dark World," and "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" coming out in the next weeks, "Ender's Game" seems like it will have an uphill road.
Coming in at No. 2 was "Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa," which made $20.5 million and brought its total to $62 million. The movie is now slated to cross the $100 million mark by the end of its run.
Opening at No. 3, "Last Vegas" made a solid $16.5 million, while the new release "Free Birds," made $16.2 million.
The science fiction thriller "Gravity" continued its successful run with $13 million and brought its total gross to $219 million.
Oscar hopefuls "Captain Phillips" and "12 Years A Slave" also continued their successful box office runs. "Phillips" garnered $8.5 million and has now made $82 million, while "Slave" expanded to 410 theaters making $4.6 million. "12 Years A Slave" expands to 1,100 theaters next weekend.
Three high profile films opened in limited release. "About Time" struggled in 175 theaters and was only able to garner $1.1 million, while "Dallas Buyers Club," made $264,000 in nine theaters.
"Diana" starring Naomi Watts crashed after garnering terrible reviews. The film opened in 38 theaters and only made $64,900.