Friday Box Office: 'The Other Woman' Starts Off Strong
Women rule at the box office, if Friday ticket receipts are any indication. The lack of other female-centric films has given a huge boost to the latest Nick Cassavetes film, The Other Woman. The comedy, starring Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann and Kate Upton, centers on three women attempting to expose the adulterous habits of the one man they all have in common, Game of Thrones star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. Also, Nicki Minaj is in it too. I feel like that somehow warrants mentioning.
From early estimates, the film is projected to make over $20 million this weekend, which is expected to be enough to end the three-weekend reign of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which has spent nearly a month at the top of the box office heap. The Other Woman cost $40 million to produce, and it has already recouped half its budget on its opening day, so this is definitely an impressive start for the comedy, which is likely to grow over the next several days.
Credit: 20th Century Fox
However, the news wasn't as good for Brick Mansions, the penultimate film from the late Paul Walker, which is expected to open with roughly $9 million. The film, written by action movie auteur Luc Besson (Taken), was reportedly a passion project for Walker, as it is an English-language remake of the popular French actioner Banlieue 13. It's uncertain why the film is opening so poorly, whether it's a case of a poor marketing campaign (although Walker's family worked closely with Relativity Media on promotion), or if the movie just didn't intrigue audiences all that much. Or, perhaps, audiences just aren't ready yet to see a new Paul Walker movie now that he's gone. Either way, this is a very modest start for Brick Mansions.
In other debuts this weekend, horror film The Quiet Ones is on track to open with between $6 million to $8 million for the weekend. However, depending on how Saturday night plays out for the film, it could prove to have serious trouble hitting that milestone, as males haven't really been turning out for the film. The PG-13 pic is actually doing its strongest business among younger females and Latino audiences.
The box office situation is still in flux as we head into Saturday night, but we'll keep you posted on the box office numbers as the weekend rolls on!