For the fourth time in it’s box office run, Guardians of the Galaxy was again a-top the US box office in the slowest weekend for two years, Box Office Mojo reports.
The Top 12 earned an estimated $51.9 million, which if confirmed with official figures, would make this past weekend the worst for over two years. In fact, it wasn’t far off the worst weekend this decade, which was in September 2008 when the top 12 grossed just over $50million.
Joining the likes of The Dark Knight, Avatar and The Hunger Games, Guardians is only the fourth film this decade to stay in the No.1 position for four weeks. Down a modest 41% from last weekend, the Marvel film took an estimated $10.2million, with it’s total now standing at a year-best $294.6million
In second place again was the Michael Bay-produced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which was down 46% to $6.5million. Already exceeding many expectations, the reboot has now taken a hugely impressive $174.6million.
Chloe Grace Moretz-starrer If I Stay dropped just 38 percent to $5.75 million, which brings its total to a decent $39.7 million. In fourth was comedy Let’s Be Cops, which added another $5.4 million for a good $66.6 million total.
Meanwhile, last weekend’s new releases both dropped sharply. The November Man, starring former Bond Pierce Brosnan, fell to $4.2 million for a $17.9 million total. And Paris-set horror/thriller As Above, So Below fell very sharply (57%) $3.7 million for a total of $15.6 million.
This weekend saw only one new release in faith-based movie The Identical, which opened in 11th place with a paltry $1.91 million. Many had thought that the film would duplicate the good business of other faith-based movies this year, including God’s Not Dead, which took $9.2million, and Heaven is for Real, which grossed $91million in its run earlier in the year.
The other notable release was the the Forrest Gump re-release. Released in a new IMAX print, the Oscar winner took $405,000 this weekend.
Next weekend sees Dolphin Tale 2 as the most high-profile wide release, while a great selection of films from this year’s festival circuit debut in limited releases, including The Drop starring Tom Hardy, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby with Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy, the long-delayed Idris Elba-starrer No Good Deed, and The Skeleton Twins, starring Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Luke Wilson and Ty Burrell.
