Box Office: 'Ride Along' Is Top MLK Weekend Opening In History
Credit: Universal Pictures
In a fitting bit of box office serendipity, a film geared towards black audiences has nabbed the top box office performance of all-time for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. Ride Along, the buddy cop movie starring Ice Cube and Kevin Hart, took in a three-day domestic gross of $41.2 million. The film is expected to reach $48 million for the four-day holiday weekend.
Ride Along just edges out the all-time MLK Weekend debut from 2008's Cloverfield, which took in a three-day gross of $40.1 million and a four-day gross of $46.1 million. But the news gets even better for Ride Along: the film is now the top January debut of all-time, and one of the best opening weekends ever for an African-American comedy. The comedy, which cost just $25 million to make, has already recouped its production budget -- and then some.
From there, it's a bit of a walk to the No. 2 spot. Last week's No. 1, Peter Berg's war drama Lone Survivor, comes in at No. 2 with a three-day gross of $23.2 million and a projected four-day gross of $27.6 million. This brings its domestic total that much closer to $100 million, as the film's current North American gross is at $78.4 million.
It was also good news for animated offerings: The Nut Job is performing well above expectations, grossing a strong $20.6 million for the three-day weekend and a projected $27.2 million over the four-day holiday period. The movie, which cost $30 million after tax breaks, is the top opening of all time for Open Road Films, in addition to claiming the record for a non-studio animated film, toppling former record-holder Coraline ($16.8 million). Meanwhile, Disney's Frozen continued to perform well, finishing in the Top 5. Grossing $11.8 million for the three-day weekend, Frozen comes in at No. 5, just behind newcomer Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.
Shadow Recruit, from director Kenneth Branagh, stars Chris Pine as Tom Clancy's iconic action hero, played in previous films by Harrison Ford, Alec Baldwin, and Ben Affleck. Co-starring Kevin Costner and Keira Knightley, the film was expected to perform a bit better than it did, as it ultimately failed to connect with younger moviegoers. Shadow Recruit ended up bringing in a paltry three-day gross of $17.2 million and a projected four-day gross of $20.4 million. While the movie did better internationally, opening to $22.4 million, the film is still a ways off from recouping its $60 million production budget.
But even the disappointing opening for Jack Ryan isn't nearly as bad as the underwhelming performance for the latest found footage horror film: 20th Century Fox's Devil's Due took in a weak $8.5 million for the three day weekend and a projected four-day gross of $9.5 million. If there's a silver lining to the crummy box office performance, it's that the film cost just $7 million to make.
As for the rest of the box office, Thursday's Oscar nominations had a clear effect on the prospects of the nominees: Sony's American Hustle picked up huge momentum following its Best Picture nomination and its big win at the Golden Globes last weekend. The heist movie took in $10.6 million for the three-day weekend, a 28 percent increase over last weekend, with projections of $12.7 million for the four-day weekend. This brings its North American total to nearly $120 million.
August: Osage County also received an Oscar boost from stars Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts, taking in $7.6 million for the weekend, an increase of 6 percent. The film is projected to earn $9.5 million for the four-day holiday, bringing its domestic gross to nearly $20 million for a No. 8 finish.
The full top 10:
1. Ride Along ($42.1 million)
2. Lone Survivor ($23.2 million)
3. The Nut Job ($20.5 million)
4. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit ($16.5 million)
5. Frozen ($11.8 million)
6. American Hustle ($10.6 million)
7. Devil’s Due ($8.4 million)
8). August: Osage County ($7.6 million)
9). The Wolf Of Wall Street ($7.3 million)
10). Her ($4 million)
Via: The Hollywood Reporter / Deadline