Final Box Office: 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Remains Dominant
The projections for Labor Day weekend were on-point: Guardians of the Galaxy is not only the dominant No. 1 movie in America, it's also roughly one weekend away from surpassing $300 million domestically. The movie closed out the summer season on top with $22.2 million to bring its North American total to roughly $280 million. Globally, the film is even more impressive: when combined with international ticket sales, the Marvel blockbuster has earned a total of $553.6 million worldwide.
This was enough to decimate incoming competition: Horror movie As Above, So Below disappointed with a $10.3 million opening, landing at No. 5. The only thing preventing this found footage movie, centering on a group of explorers encountering evil forces in the catacombs beneath Paris, is that it cost only $5 million make, meaning it has a lower threshold to cross in order to become profitable. Still, this has to be considered a disappointment, considering how aggressive the marketing campaign for the film was, particularly towards younger audiences. The gross was even worse for Pierce Brosnan's new, non-Bond spy thriller, as The November Man came in at No. 6 with $10.2 million. The movie, which cost over $20 million to make, stars Brosnan as an ex-CIA agent going on one last mission to take down the pupil he trained. It found an audience among adults, but not a Bond-sized audience, which proved troublesome considering that opposition to newcomers wasn't just coming from Guardians of the Galaxy, but from a slew of summer holdovers that continue to dominate.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and If I Stay continue to perform impressively. Coming up on its first month since release, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is showing remarkable staying power, grossing $15.7 million to come in at No. 2 for the Labor Day weekend. Meanwhile, If I Stay earned $11.6 million, thanks to its targeted youth approach.
Check out the full Top 10 for the Labor Day Weekend Box Office below:
1. Guardians of the Galaxy ($22.2 million)
2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ($15.7 million)
3. If I Stay ($11.6 million)
4. Let's Be Cops ($10.6 million)
5. As Above, So Below ($10.3 million)
6. The November Man ($10.2 million)
7. When the Game Stands Tall ($8 million)
8. The Giver ($6.3 million)
9. The Hundred-Foot Journey ($6.3 million)
10. The Expendables 3 ($4.6 million)
Credit: Marvel Studios / Disney