Dylan O'Brien's 'Maze Runner: The Death Cure' Starts Box Office Race With $1.5 Million Thursday

“Maze Runner: The Death Cure” grossed $1.5 million during Thursday previews, on its way to a $20 million opening weekend.

In comparison, the first “Maze Runner” raked in $1.1 million before it scored an opening weekend of $32.5 million. The sequel, “The Scorch Trials,” earned $1.7 million and went on to gross $30 million its debut weekend.

“Death Cure” is expected to earn around $20 million this weekend. The third installment in the franchise was supposed to open a year ago but was delayed due to lead actor Dylan O’Brien’s injuries sustained during filming.

Also Read: 'Maze Runner: The Death Cure' Film Review: Action Soars While the Story Bores

Wes Ball directed all three of the films.

“Death Cure” also stars Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Will Poulter, Ki Hong Lee, Rosa Salazar, Giancarlo Esposito, Patricia Clarkson and Aidan Gillen. This time, Thomas and his Gladers must find a cure for the deadly disease known as the “Flare.” They travel to the WCKD headquarters to rescue their friends.

The film already had a great start overseas, where it has grossed a solid $18 million from international markets.

Christian Bale’s “Hostiles” is expanding to 2,800 theaters this weekend after it had a limited release on Dec. 22. Since then, the drama has grossed $1.8 million. Rosamund Pike, Ben Foster and Wes Studi also star in the film written and directed by Scott Cooper. It is expected to earn roughly $10 million this weekend.

Also Read: 'Maze Runner: The Death Cure' Trailer Shows Dylan O'Brien Back on the Run (Video)

Dwayne Johnson’s “Jumanji” is still expected to have legs this weekend after taking the number one spot for the last four weekends in a row. The comedy, also starring Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan and Nick Jonas, has grossed a stellar $320.5 million domestically since its debut on Dec. 20.

16 of the Highest Grossing Book-to-Big Screen Adaptations of All Time

"Jaws" (1975) The first Steven Spielberg-directed movie on the list made $260 million and is based on the Peter Benchley novel of the same name.
"How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (2000) The Dr. Seuss classic is the only holiday-oriented picture on the list, besting "Jaws" by less than $5,000.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) The first of a series of films based on the work of C.S. Lewis, "The Chronicles of Narnia" grossed $291 million.
"The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" (2010) As a whole, the Stephenie Meyer-created "The Twilight Saga" has grossed more than $1.3 billion across five films, but the most successful was "Eclipse," which made over $300.5 million.
"Forrest Gump" (1994) The award-winning film starring Tom Hanks in the titular role earned well over $329.6 million, a beloved movie based on the Winston Groom novel.
"Alice in Wonderland" (2010) Though there's been several adaptations of Lewis Carroll's fantastic 1865 novel, no version has been more successful than Disney's interpretation starring Johnny Depp, which took in more than $334 million at the box office.
"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" (2003) "The Return of the King" grossed $378 million, earning the most of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. All of the adaptations of author J.R.R. Tolkien's series earned more than $315 million.
"Harry Potter and the Death Hallows Part 2" (2011) The epic finale of the beloved "Harry Potter" series grossed more than $381 million, bringing the domestic box office grand total to $2.39 billion. The wild success of the franchise made its creator, J.K. Rowling, the first and (so far) only billionaire author.
"Jurassic Park" (1993) Celebrating its 20th anniversary with a 3D release, the flick made $402 million on its initial release. Michael Crichton, author of the novel, had his hands on the screenplay as well.
"Spider-Man" (2002) Sony's Marvel Comics superhero adaptation "Spider-Man" shot to the top of the box office upon release, raking in more than $403.7 million. Its sequels, "Spider-Man 2" and "Spider-Man 3" were less successful but still earned a combined $710.1 million.
"Iron Man 3" (2013) The only movie released this year that made the list is "Iron Man 3," and it's a figure Tony Stark would be proud of: $405 million. The trio of movies, starring another Marvel Comics-created superhero, made well over $1 billion worldwide.
"The Hunger Games" (2012) The highly anticipated sequel, "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," is expected to do big business at the box office after its Suzanne Collins-penned predecessor, "The Hunger Games," took in more than $408 million.
"The Lion King" (1994) Filmmakers of "The Lion King" said that the Disney animated film's story is inspired by Shakespeare's "Hamlet" and the Bible. The picture raked in more than $422 million at the box office.
"Shrek 2" (2004) William Steig's picture book "Shrek!" has spawned a major franchise, with the second film about the green ogre grossing the most, $441.2 million.
"The Dark Knight" (2008)The most successful take on the DC Comics superhero, Batman, the Christopher Nolan-helmed trilogy took in almost $1.2 billion combined. The film also gave Heath Ledger a posthumous Oscar and brought well over half a billion on its own.
"Marvel's The Avengers" (2012)The Marvel Comics superhero team smashed box office records, earning more than $623.3 million, making it the most successful comic book adaptation to hit theaters to date.