‘Elysium’ Guns Past ‘We’re the Millers’ and ‘Planes’ at Jammed Box Office

Matt Damon's sci-fi action film debuts with $11.2M as Jennifer Aniston's pot comey does $8.5M and Disney's kids film takes off with $8M

The Matt Damon sci-fi action movie “Elysium” launched at No. 1 Friday, knocking Jennifer Aniston‘s pot comedy “We’re the Millers” into second in a very crowded weekend at the box office.

With its $11.2 million first day, “Elysium” is a looking at a $30 million three-day total. That’s a little less than Sony had hoped for, but looks like enough to win a weekend with three other wide openers. First-night moviegoers gave director Neill Blomkamp‘s R-rated follow-up to “District 9” a “B” CinemaScore.

The crowded marketplace almost certainly took something off the top of nearly every film’s grosses, but overall business was running 12 percent ahead of the comparable weekend last year.

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Warner Bros.’ “We’re the Millers” brought in $8.5 million Friday and should hit $25 million for the three days. That would give the R-rated comedy, which co-stars Jason Sudeikis, roughly $35 million since its Wednesday opening.

Disney’s 3D animated family film “Planes” debuted in third with $8.1 million on Friday, and the DisneyToon Studios' “Cars” spin-off should land with around $22 million for the three days. First-night audiences gave it an “A-” CinemaScore, so it won't be shock if it goes higher.

“Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters,” which opened Wednesday, was fourth Friday and is on pace for a $25 million five-day total. Fox’s PG-rated teen-skewing adventure fantasy added $4.5 million and should come in with around $15 million for the weekend.

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“Elysium” is in 3,284 theaters, including 371 Imax screens. That more than "We're the Millers" (3,260) and “Percy Jackson” (3,031), but less than “Planes,” which is in 3,702 locations.

Last week’s No. 1 movie, the Mark Wahlberg-Denzel Washington action comedy “Two Guns,” tumbled 64 percent from last week on Friday and brought in $3.7 million. That will put it at around $11 million for the weekend and would mean a second-week domestic total of around $48 million for Universal.

Sony’s 3D animated kids movie “The Smurfs 2,” back for its second week, took in $3 million Friday from a market-high 3,867 theaters. That’s off just 44 percent from last week and puts it on track for a $10 million weekend, which would give its a two-week total of roughly $47 million.

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Fox’s superhero sequel “The Wolverine” was seventh Friday. Its $2.8 million take should translate to an $8 million third week and a domestic total of around $112 million.

If things stay on the current pace, the weekend top ten would be rounded out by “The Conjuring” and “Despicable Me 2” at around $6 million and “Grown-Ups 2” at roughly $4 million. 
 

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