"Captain America: The Winter Solider" defeated "Rio 2" while "Only Lovers Left Alive" opened strong in arthouse cinemas.
As predicted, Marvel continued to soar at the box office in its second weekend. The movie made an estimated $41 million which was 56 percent down from its historic opening weekend. The film has now made $159 million and will easily surpass the 200 million by the end of next weekend. Look for a $250 to $300 million total by the end of its run.
In second place "Rio 2" disappointed. While the movie made $39 million in 3,948, it was not able to surpass the original film's opening weekend. The movie had opened on Friday above the "Captain America" but was unable to hold the lead. The film has no competition for family audiences and with the holiday break it is likely that the movie will generate good numbers.
"Oculus" did not do as well as many pundits expected. The film made $12 million on its opening weekend but given that the film only cost an estimated 5 million, this can already be considered a successful film.
Meanwhile Kevin Costner proved once again that he is no longer a box office draw. The actor's latest film "Draft Day" only made 49.7 million in 2,781 theaters. The opening is $3 million less than the actors previous film "3 Days to Kill" which" failed to take off back in February. With four new releases next week it is unlikely this movie will hold well in the coming weeks.
"Divergent" continued a successful run as it made $7.5 million and has now made $124 million. Expect a final total of $140 to $150 million.
Meanwhile "Noah" continues to struggle as the movie only made $7.4 million and has only made $84 million. The movie could improve during the holiday season but expect the Darren Aronofsky film to end with $100 million.
"Gods Not Dead" was down 29 percent and made $5.4 million. The Indie Christian drama has already made $40 million. Meanwhile Wes Andrson's "The Grand Budapest Hotel brought in an $4 million and has already made $39 million.
Two children's movies suffered from "Rio 2" opening. "The Muppets Most Wanted was down 64 percent and made $2.1 million while Mr. Peabody & Sherman" grossed $1.8 million. "The Muppets" has already made $45 million while "Peabody" has brought in $105 million.
Sony Classics Picture had good weekend in arthouse cinemas. "The Raid 2" opened nationwide and made $1 million while Jim Jarmusch's "Only Lovers Left Alive" made $97,000 in four theaters.
Meanwhile Scarlet Johansson's "Under the Skin" expanded to 54 theaters and brought in an estimated $304,000. The movie will continue to expand especially since it has already made $500,000.
Roadside Attractions had a disappointing opening with "Joe." The film opened to $106,000 in 48 theaters. While the movie also opened on demand, the distributor was hoping Nicolas Cage's star power would anchor good returns especially when had received rave reviews. The company is planning on expanding the film but should most likely not expect better returns.
The Weinstein Company equally disappointed with "The Railway Man." The film, which stars Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman, had received good notices but only made $64,000 in four theaters. The company is planning to expand the film into more theaters and that will ultimately be the biggest test for the movie. However with a weak opening it will be hard to convert mainstream audiences and eventually make the film a box office hit.