Pixar Animation’s “Inside Out” may finally get past the dinosaurs of “Jurassic World” to top the box office, as newcomers “Terminator: Genisys” and “Magic Mike XXL” failed to bring the fireworks over the 4th of July weekend.
The heavyweight holdovers went 1-2 on Friday, with Disney’s family film taking in $12.5 million and Universal’s sci-fi blockbuster at $11.7 million. Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s “Terminator” reboot was third with $10.8 million and Channing Tatum‘s strippers faded and were fourth at $6.3 million.
That translates to around $31 million for the three days for the PG-rated “Inside Out,” while the indefatigable dinos and “Genisys” — both rated PG-13 — were looking at around $29 million. The R-rated “Magic Mike XXL” missed a step Friday, and the bump-and-grind guys are on track for a $15 million three-day haul for Warner Bros.
All that adds up to a 4th of July weekend that is more fizzle than sizzle.
Paramount and Skydance Productions’ “Terminator: Genisys” is heading for roughly $43 million for the five days since opening Wednesday, while “Magic Mike XXL” will be well back with around $30 million. That means both the androids and the strippers will come in about $10 million under analysts’ projections for the long weekend.
“Inside Out” is on pace to finish north of $45 million for the five days, with “Jurassic World” just under that. If Pete Docter‘s animated tale of the little girl Riley and what goes on in her mind does beat the dinos, it will reverse the order of the leaders of the past two weekends and halt the “Jurassic World” weekend win streak at three.
The overall box office weekend was running about six percent ahead of last year’s, but that’s not saying much. The holiday was a major dud in 2014, among the worst in three decades. That’s in part because this Saturday, like Friday last year, will be off about 35 percent from a typical Saturday as many potential moviegoers focus on fireworks.