Warner Bros./DC Studios’ “Superman” is easily holding on to the No. 1 spot at the box office with an industry estimated $57 million second weekend, flying high over Sony’s revival of the 90s slasher series “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and Paramount’s animated dud “The Smurfs.”
“Superman” is holding well with a 54% drop from its $125 million opening and a running domestic total of $235 million through Sunday. At this pace, it is on course for a domestic run of around $350 million, and how far it goes beyond that will depend on how well it holds against Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.” Its global total, however, will be curtailed due to lower overseas numbers and is on track to finish somewhere around $600 million.
Meanwhile, “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and “The Smurfs” are fighting for the No. 3 spot on the charts, falling behind “Superman” and the $23 million third weekend of Universal’s “Jurassic World.” “Summer” currently has the edge with a $5.8 million opening day from 3,206 locations, compared to $3.9 million for “Smurfs.”
With a reported $18 million budget, “I Know What You Did Last Summer” will be at worst a mild misfire for Sony Pictures even if it flames out quickly at the box office. Reception for the revival starring Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. has been tepid with Rotten Tomatoes scores of 38% critics and 68% audience to go with a C+ on CinemaScore.
But “The Smurfs” is shaping up to be a flop for Paramount with an estimated opening of just $12 million from 3,504 locations against a reported budget of $58 million. Rotten Tomatoes scores have been poor by family film standards with 21% critics and 64% audience, and its B+ on CinemaScore is the lowest ever for a “Smurfs” movie.
More to come…
