By Chris Kavan - 06/28/15 at 08:15 PM CT
It was a case of déjà vu all over again as Jurassic World topped the box office for the third straight weekend - holding off a strong Inside Out, which nearly had enough to dethrone the dinos (but not quite). Neither of the newcomers, Ted 2 or Max, provided much of a threat - with Ted 2 especially disappointing given the success of the original. Jurassic World continues on a record pace while Inside Out continues to do strong business as well. The biggest test yet for Jurassic World is coming over the 4th of July holiday as another popular franchise gets its own updated reboot of sorts.
1) JURASSIC WORLD
2) INSIDE OUT
Pixar has one of the best second-place debuts of all time last weekend and this weekend it nearly managed to overtake first place. Inside Out dropped just 42.5% (a better hold than Wall-E and Brave, not quite as good as Finding Nemo or Up) and earned a very pleasing $52.1 million. That puts it at nearly $185 million - outpacing every other Pixar movie save Toy Story 3 and pointing to a total in the $300 million range. It doesn't face any serious competition until Minions hits the week after the 4th of July holiday.
3) TED 2
When Ted opened to a $54.4 back in 2012 (a record for an original R-rated film) and went on to $549 million world-wide (still good enough for 5th place all time for an R-rated film) - it was because not only was it a raunchy comedy with big names, but decidedly a fresh one too. Ted 2 arrives without any of the "wow" factor of the original film. Plus Seth MacFarlane's brand has lessened of late. All that pointed to a disappointed $33 million opening - far less than the $45-$50 million early estimates had pegged it at. Still, it's not a complete loss as the film cost a rather tame $68 million. But if people were hoping for a spark like 22 Jump Street - they didn't get it , as the film performed more like Wayne's World 2. Still, international markets will certainly buoy the film and even if it falls short domestically, it won't be a bad outcome for the film. It earned a respectable "B+" Cinemeascore and could hold on for a bit.
4) MAX
The inspirational "dog with PTSD" story, Max, pulled in $12.2 million in 4th place. Given the phenomenal performance of Inside Out - that result is actually a pretty good. You're also looking at a film that cost only about $20 million - and with an "A+" Cinemascore, will likely have some decent legs at the box office. It fell in line with other inspiration films like Soul Surfer ($10 million) and Dolphin Tale 2 ($15.8 million). Given the military theme - it might even get a bump from the upcoming patriotic holiday. While Max won't be making any American Sniper-like waves, it will certainly end up making money.
5) SPY
In the top five five for the fourth straight weekend, Melissa McCarthy's Spy once again had a great hold, dipping just 30.5% (the best hold out of any film in the top 10). It added another $7.8 million to its total, which now stands at $88.3 million. It is now looking like a $100 million total is within reach for the comedy.
Outside the top five: Love & Mercy is becoming the buzziest indie of the year. The Beach Boys Brian Wilson biopic (starring Paul Dano and John Cusack) has managed to take in $9.3 million in four weekends of limited release. It added $1.3 million (12th place) over the weekend after dropping just 25.2%
Another indie film, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, expanded by 286 theater (for a total of 354) and earned $992,000 (up over 172%) for a new total of $1.865 million. We'll see if the numbers are going to justify a continued expansion for the indie drama.
Thanks to July 4th - there will be an extended weekend, as both the blockbuster (and oddly spelled) Terminator: Genisys and the eye-candy beefcake Magic Mike XXL both drop on Wednesday.