‘Insurgent’ Takes in $21 Million at Friday Box Office, Eyes $50 Million

Sci-fi sequel will top “Cinderella” but come in under “Divergent.” Sean Penn’s “The Gunman” misfires and “Do You Believe?” won’t break out

“The Divergent Series: Insurgent” opened at No. 1 at the box office with an estimated $21.3 million Friday. That projects it to a $50 million three-day haul for the second installment of the young adult sci-fi series, good enough to pass Disney’s “Cinderella” as the nation’s top movie but under the opening of the first film.

The futuristic thriller starring Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort and Miles Teller couldn’t match the $22.7 million that “Divergent” managed in its first day and likely won’t top that film’s $54.6 million opening weekend. That has to be a let down for Lionsgate’s Summit Entertainment, since the “Insurgent” production budget was $110 million, $25 million m0re than “Divergent.”

The studio must now bank on a strong overseas run for “Insurgent,” and it opened at No. 1 in 72 of the 76 foreign markets in which it debuted Friday and brought in $18.3 million.

“Insurgent,” which received an “A-” CinemaScore, will easily outpace last weekend’s top film “Cinderella,” which took in $9.5 million Friday. That projects to about $35 million for the weekend, which would be a roughly 50 percent drop from last week, a good hold in line with that of other Disney live-action fairy tale updates like “Maleficent” and “Oz the Great and Powerful.”

The R-rated Sean Penn action film “The Gunman” is looking at a soft $5 million opening weekend after claiming third with $1.7 million for Open Road Films on Friday. The Christian drama “Do You Believe?” brought in $1.2 million Friday and is on pace for less than $4 million in its debut, less than half the stunning $9.2 million that another faith-based Pure Flix film, “God’s Not Dead,” opened to last year on this weekend.

It adds up to a blah overall box office weekend, about 10 percent down from the comparable frame last year, when “Divergent” and “Muppets Most Wanted” led the way.

Fox’s “Kingsman: The Secret Service” is positioned to overtake “The Gunman” for third, after taking in $1.2 million Friday. That pencils out to a $4.8 million sixth weekend for the long-legged Colin Firth spy spoof, which has taken in $111 million domestically, and more than $280 million at the worldwide box office.

“Run All Night,” the R-rated Liam Neeson action film, brought in $1.3 million and is on the way to a $4.5 million second week for Warner Bros.

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