Despite some dodgy reviews and concerns about the lack of diversity in the cast, Tim Burton's latest, Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children took the top spot at the American box office this weekend, with a solid $28.5 million, according to studio estimates.
With a $110 million budget to make up (not including marketing and distribution), it'll have to hope for strong legs and decent international business, but it's a good start. Disaster drama Deepwater Horizon also opened strongly, earning $20.6 million for the latest collaboration between director Peter Berg and star Mark Wahlberg. That meant last week's top spot release The Magnificent Seven slipped to third with $15.7 million, a drop of 54.8%. Family comedy Storks fell to fourth from second, taking home $13.8 million. That meant Sully had to fall again, to fith, but it still made $8.4 million and has now firmly passed the $100 million mark in the States alone, with $151.6 million as its worldwide total so far.
Long-delayed crime comedy Masterminds didn't enjoy the same success as the other new arrivals, making do with a sixth-place launch. The movie made $6.6 million, as if to run salt in its positioning wounds. Chess drama Queen Of Katwe added 1,190 screens to its roll out and jumped into the top 10 at seventh with $2.6 million. The movie has made a little more than $3 million so far from American audiences, which isn't great with a $15 million budget to recoup.
Horror thriller Don't Breathe stayed in the charts with six weeks under its belt, slipping to seventh and $2.37 million. Bridget Jones's Baby continued its fall, dropping to ninth on $2.3 million, while Snowden saw its takings decline 50%, adding $2.2 million in 10th for an $18.7 million Stateside total. Oliver Stone will have to wait and see whether international audiences will embrace his true-life tale of whistleblowing and governmental spying.