After 20th Century Fox’sThe Martiantook home thebox officecrown yet again last weekend, many were wondering if that feat could be repeated for a third consecutive time. The sci-fi drama will face its toughest challenge yet, with three new releases hitting theaters on October 16, Sony’sGoosebumps, Universal’sCrimson Peakand DreamWorks’Bridge of Spies.The Martianonly dropped 31.9% from its opening frame last weekend, and if it can pull off a similar decrease, it may end up on top for a third time in a row, but the projections from BoxOffice.com putGoosebumpsas the winner with $24 million.
GoosebumpsstarsJack Blackas beloved authorR.L. Stine, whose world is upended when a new neighbor moves into town. Upset about moving from a big city to a small town, teenagerZach Cooper(Dylan Minnette) finds a silver lining when he meets the beautiful girl, Hannah (Odeya Rush), living right next door. But every silver lining has a cloud, and Zach’s comes when he learns that Hannah has a mysterious dad who is revealed to be R. L. Stine (Jack Black), the author of the bestsellingGoosebumps series. It turns out that there is a reason why Stine is so strange… he is a prisoner of his own imagination! WhileGoosebumpsis expected to come out on top, opening in 3,300 theaters, another strong showing fromThe Martiancould give it a third straight win at the box office.
IfThe Martianmanages to drop by just 31.9%, or less, it would end up with $25.2 million this weekend, but we’re projecting it to come in second place with $21.8 million. The sci-fi drama follows the quest to save an astronaut stranded on Mars. We still have a long way to go until the awards season races truly start to heat up, butThe Martianhas emerged as one of the top front runners. With an all-star cast includingMatt Damon,Jessica Chastain,Kristen Wiig,Kate Mara,Sebastian Stan,Sean Bean,Michael Peña,Chiwetel EjioforandJeff Daniels,The Martianhas earned $108 million since opening on October 2.
It should be another close race for third place as well, with newcomerBridge of SpiesandCrimson Peak’s projections quite close to one another.Bridge of Spiesis expected to open in third place with a projected $16 million, withCrimson Peakon its heels in fourth place with $14 million.Bridge of Spiesis already a hit with critics, posting an impressive 91% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, ahead ofGoosebumps' 82% rating.Bridge of Spiesis a dramatic thriller set against the backdrop of a series of historic events, which tells the story of James Donovan (Tom Hanks), a Brooklyn lawyer who finds himself thrust into the center of the Cold War when the CIA sends him on the near-impossible task to negotiate the release of a captured American U-2 pilot. The supporting cast is rounded out byMark Rylance, who is already getting Oscar buzz for his portrayal of a Russian spy,Amy Ryan,Alan Alda,Billy Magnussen,Eve Hewsonand Scott Shepherd. There aren’t enough reviews posted for a consensus onCrimson Peakquite yet.Hotel Transylvania 2will likely round out the top 5 in fifth place with $12.1 million.
Rounding out the top 10 arePan($7.8 million),The Intern$4.4 million,Sicario($4.1 million),The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials($3.7 million) and the new releaseWoodlawn($2.4 million), which opens in 1,500 theaters. It’s also possible thatSteve Jobs, which had an incredible opening weekend in limited release, could sneak into the top 10, since it will expand from four theaters to roughly 60. The highly-anticipated biopic earned a phenomenal $521,522 from just four theaters last weekend, earning an astounding $130,381 per-screen average. If it continues to put up an impressive per-screen average this weekend, there is certainly a chance it could slide into the top 10, but we’ll have to see how audiences in these expanded markets will respond toSteve Jobs.
Opening in limited release this weekend are critically-acclaimed indie dramasRoom,TruthandWoodlawn, along with The Assassin, Cut Snake,Meadowland, andAll Things Must Pass. Also opening in a limited theatrical release isBeasts of No Nation, although fans will also be able to watch the critically-acclaimed drama on Netflix. The film was given a limited theatrical release so it could qualify for the Academy Awards, and it’s certainly possible this could be an early awards season candidate, given the amount of critical acclaim it has already received. The film starsIdris Elbaas an African military leader, who trains a young boy named Agu, played byAbraham Attahin his feature film debut. It will be interesting to see how this film performs while opening in theaters and on Netflix at the same time.
Looking ahead, next weekend is shaping up to be one of the busiest at the box office all year, with four new films hitting theaters andSteve Jobsexpanding nationwide. Opening on October 23 are Universal’sJem and the Holograms, starringJuliette Lewis, Lionsgate’sThe Last Witch Hunter, starringVin Diesel, Paramount’sParanormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension, the final installment in the long-runningParanormal Activityfranchise, and Open Road Films’Rock the Kasbah. Debuting in limited release is The Weinstein Company’sBurnt, which will expand nationwide on October 30, Attack on Titan: Part 2, Difret, Extraordinary Tales, Heart of a Dog,Suffragette,I Smile Backand Nasty Baby. Take a look at our projections for this weekend, and check back on Sunday for the box office estimates.
