Paramount Pictures via Everett Collection
Guardians of the Galaxy cruised to the top of the box office last week, bashing several records in its wake, including the highest August opening of all time. But what’s harder than getting to the top is staying there. The film’s second weekend faces some stiff competition from a big group of new releases, including the Michael Bay-produced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot, the Daniel Radcliffe rom-com What If, the Helen Mirren-starring Disney family movie The Hundred-Foot Journey, the dance flick Step Up All In, and the tornado-laden Into the Storm. Can Marvel’s misfits withstand the onslaught and reclaim box office gold once again? We analyze each films chances of winning the weekend.
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES
Guardians of the Galaxy‘s fiercest competition comes by way of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which is likely to be the second biggest moneymaker in August. It’s a strong contender, and the turtles might have the muscle (and the ninja skills) to knock Guardians off of its pedestal.
Previous Films in the Franchise
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: $25 million
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze: $20 million
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: $12 million
TMNT: $24 million
The Past Five Michael Bay Films
Transformers: Age of Extinction: $100 million
Transformers: Dark of the Moon: $97 million
Transformers: Rise of the Fallen: $108 million
Transformers: $70 million
The opening weekends for the previous four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films have topped out at about $25 million, which on its own wouldn’t be enough to topple Guardians of the Galaxy. But the film’s attachment to producer Michael Bay, who is a proven money maker in Hollywood, will likely give this latest reboot a significant boost. The film’s marketing has been smart to smatter the Transformers director’s name all over the promotional material for the film. The hype for this film is huge and the Guardians might not survive this fight.
Warner Bros. Pictures via Everett Collection
INTO THE STORM
The effects-driven disaster film is facing some stiff competition, but disaster films in the past have been able to carve out a nice chunk of box-office cash. Into the Storm is also looking to capitalize on the last legs of the found footage trend. Could Into the Storm rain on Guardians of the Galaxy‘s parade?
Notable Natural Disaster Films
The Impossible: $3 million
2012: $65 million
The Day After Tomorrow: $69 million
Twister: $41 million
The Past Five Found Footage Films
Earth to Echo: $8 million
A Haunted House 2: $9 million
Devil’s Due: $8 million
Paranormal Activity: The Marked ones: $18 million
A Haunted House: $18 million
Sadly, Into the Storm likely doesn’t have the momentum to reach the top of the charts this weekend. The public’s interest in found footage films is slowing in earnest, and Into the Storm doesn’t have the same hype surrounding it as the best in the genre. The film’s negative reception from critics certainly won’t help matters either.
CBS Films/Entertainment One
WHAT IF?
Can Daniel Radcliffe make it in Hollywood without Harry Potter? It’s been a question surrounding the actor ever since the massive franchise came to an end in 2011. Radcliffe has boatloads of charm, but all of the likeability in the world doesn’t equal movie tickets sold.
The Past Five Romantic Comedies
About Last Night: $26 million
Think Like a Man Too: $29 million
The Other Woman: $25 million
Blended: $14 million
And So It Goes: $5 million
The Past Five Daniel Radcliffe Films
Kill Your Darlings: $53,000
The Woman in Black: $20 million
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2: $169 million
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1: $125 million
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: $78 million
What If is an indie export from Britain, and the film isn’t opening up in nearly enough theaters to give Guardians of the Galaxy any reasonable competition, but even if the film was widely distributed, the romantic comedy genre isn’t a strong enough contender to compete with the superheroes wizzing around in Marvel’s latest smash hit. Daniel Radcliffe was a massive box office draw in the Harry Potter franchise, but the actor still hasn’t proved himself a moneymaker out of his wizard robes.
Walt Disney Studios
THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY
This delightful comedy-drama featuring two competing restaurants stationed right across the street from each other is going after a completely different market than Guardians of the Galaxy, but is this slice of feel good counter programing good enough to contend with not one but two comic book films?
Notable Feel Good Comedies
Chef: $2 million
Admission: $6 million
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel: $6 million
The Help: $26 million
The Past Five Helen Mirren Films
Red 2: $18 million
Monsters University: $82 million
Hitchcock: $287,000
The Debt: $10 nillion
Arthur: $12 nillion
The Hundred-Foot Journey looks like a great film to take your mom to in the crush of CGI adventures clogging the theaters, but we highly doubt it will come anywhere close to Guardians of the Galaxy. Helen Mirren isn’t as big of a draw as you might expect, and similar films in the same vein have only enjoyed moderate success.
Summit Entertainment via Everett Collection
STEP-UP: ALL IN
The improbably long-running dance movie franchise has somehow reached its fifth entry, but will it reach the top of the box office by weekends end?
Previous Films in the Franchise
Step Up: $21 million
Step Up 2 the Streets: $19 million
Step Up 3-D: $16 million
Step Revolution: $12 million
The Step Up franchise certainly has its work cut out for it. The series’ box office totals have been steadily declining with each release, with the last one only managing to secure $12 million in its opening weekend. There’s no possible way the newest Step Up film will top Guardians. In fact, with how crowded this weekend is, Step Up might get lost in the shuffle entirely.
