'Captain America' Reigns Supreme Again (and 'Transcendence' Bombs)
Welcome to the Box Office Report, where Captain America 2 once again fended off Rio 2. A depressed Johnny Depp, whose flick Transcendence opened dismally, is going to need some chocolat(e).
1. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Buena Vista): $26.6 million in 3,825 theaters.
In just three weeks, Captain America has dropped from a $96 million opening weekend to a $41 million sophomore showing to a $26 million performance this weekend. No bother. The Disney/Marvel retained the crown as box office leader, edging out Rio 2 once again by a few million bucks. The Chris Evans/ScarJo flick broke the $500 million barrier worldwide and surpassed the lifetime gross of the first Captain America.
2. Rio 2 (Fox): $22.5 million in 3,975 theaters.
Rio 2, which upped its theater count by over a 100 this week (while Captain America modestly reduced its count), looked like it might swipe the top spot away this week. The first installment did well on Good Friday a few years back, pulling in $10 million, but this year, Rio 2 pulled just over $9 million. The sequel is less than half a mil away from the $200 million mark with domestic and international included.
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3. Heaven Is for Real (TriStar): $21.5 million in 2,417 theaters
Nipping at Rio's heels was Heaven Is for Real another family draw, especially for Good Friday crowds. Based on the eternally best-selling faith-based book, the Greg Kinnear flick showed a strong opening, despite some mixed and mostly lukewarm reviews from critics. The audience reviews were predictably stronger and the film performed well given the much smaller theater count.
4. Transcendence (Warner Bros.): $11.1 million in 3,455 theaters
You'll probably gather that there were high expectations that went unmet from our review of the Johnny Depp's cyber-thriller Transcendence. The opening weekend numbers more than reflected that. Finishing under $12 million is bad for a typical Depp opening and bad for an opening of any film in this genre. Add a $100 million production budget and you've got a certified bomb. Despite the buzz that accompanied the script, it seems that moviegoers aren't quite ready to grapple with "weighty issues of transhumanism and man's evolving relationship with technology."
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5. A Haunted House 2 (Open Road Films): $9.1 million in 2,310 theaters
It's nice to see Marlon Wayans make good on a project with a $4 million budget. This movie is currently tracking a 7 percent among critics on Rotten Tomatoes, who called it "sloppy, vulgar, and manic," though 70 percent of moviegoers disagree. (Jaime Pressly and Gabriel Iglesias might have helped cement the divide.) I have a more important question to ask: Was there even an original A Haunted House?
This article was originally published at http://www.thewire.com/entertainment/2014/04/captain-america-reigns-supreme-again-and-transcendence-bombs/360943/
