STX’s “Bad Moms” has a similar story, coming in third place with a stellar $23.4-million debut, given its $20 million production budget. Second-weekend holdover “Star Trek Beyond” came in second with $24 million.
Meanwhile, Lionsgate thriller “Nerve,” about a teenager (Emma Roberts) who becomes entangled in an online game of truth or dare, failed to make it into the top five, making $9 million from 2,583 locations during the three-day weekend.
Fourth place went to Illumination and Universal’s animated hit “The Secret Life of Pets,” earning $18.2 million in its fourth weekend. New Line’s low budget scary movie “Lights Out” made $10.8 million in its second weekend to round out the top five.
Matt Damon‘s comeback in the Bourne series is so far a lucrative move for Universal as the movie’s estimated $60 million take makes the film the second highest-grossing opening weekend of all five Bourne movies, behind 2007’s “Bourne Ultimatum,” which debuted to $69.3 million and went on to gross $227.5 million domestically and $215.4 million abroad.
With a reported budget of $120 million and an A- Cinemascore (indicating high fan anticipation), the spy thriller was positioned to do some solid business in spite of its current Rotten Tomatoes score of 57 percent.
Another indicator of its impending, not-so-covert glory: “Jason Bourne” led online ticket sales at Fandango, outpacing 2015’s “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation” when that buzzy title was at the same point in its sales cycle.
Director Paul Greengrass‘ new Bourne movie was also moving the needle in social chatter earlier this week, up by roughly 8,000 from last week to 28,429 new conversations. The movie, which co-stars Tommy Lee Jones, Alicia Vikander, Vincent Cassel, Julia Stiles and Riz Ahmed, amassed a total amount of 244,938 conversations leading up to its release, according to comScore’s PreAct results.
The franchise as a whole has grossed more than $1 billion worldwide.
STX comedy “Bad Moms” had a very solid opening, with opening grosses that surpassed its production budget.
It has a strong A Cinemascore, though a somewhat mixed 63 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Fandango reported earlier this week that “Bad Moms” ticket sales are outpacing previous female-led comedies “Trainwreck” and “Spy” — another good sign for the title. The movie revolves around a group of moms who decide to stop striving to be perfect and go on a wild on a self-indulgent binge to reclaim their freedom.
Plus, writer-directors Jon Lucas and Scott Moore‘s movie inspired 35,648 new conversations on social media in the past week, according to comScore. (That’s more than “Bourne”!)
Despite the “chick flick” label, recent tracking showed a growing interest among males aged 17 to 34. Tracking also shows strong and growing interest among women.
“Nerve” represents some counter-programmming. Open since Wednesday, the five-day gross came in at $15.1 million, which is in line with initial estimates.
Reported to have been produced for under $20 million, the PG-13 film also stars Dave Franco and has an A- Cinemascore, indicating high fan anticipation.
With a 56 percent Rotten Tomatoes score, “Nerve” is the only movie in theaters geared toward the early teen set, specifically teen girls. And it probably doesn’t hurt that it’s about a mobile app that shares similarities with “Pokemon Go.”
The Top Five 1. “Jason Bourne” (Universal) — $60 million Week 1 ($60 million total)
2. “Star Trek Beyond” (Paramount) — $24 million in Week 2 ($105.7 million total)
3. “Bad Moms” (STX) — $23.4 million in Week 1 ($23.4 million total)
4. “The Secret Life of Pets” (Universal) — $18.2 million in Week 4 ($296.2 million total)
5. “Lights Out” (Warner Bros.) — $10.8 million in Week 2 ($42.9 million total)
The Evolution of Matt Damon From 'Mystic Pizza' to 'Downsizing' (Photos)
Matt Damon was just 18 when he made his movie debut with a small role in 1988's "Mystic Pizza," which was also the second feature of Julia Roberts.
In 1992's "School Ties," Damon played a prep school bully who antagonized a Jewish student played by Brendan Fraser in a naked shower room fight.
Damon grew a peculiar, Ethan Hawke-like goatee for his role as Lt. Britton Davis in 1993's "Geronimo: An American Legend."
Damon played a drug-addled Gulf War veteran opposite Meg Ryan in 1996's "Courage Under Fire."
For the "Courage Under Fire" role, Damon famously dropped 40 pounds off his already thin frame -- without a doctor's supervision.
Damon was back in fitter, hotter form in the 1997 John Grisham adaptation of "The Rainmaker."
Damon and his childhood buddy Ben Affleck co-wrote the script for 1997's "Good Will Hunting," and the two starred opposite Robin Williams.
Miramax
Affleck and Damon won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for "Good Will Hunting," delivering a memorably enthusiastic speech at the podium. (He was also nominated for Best Actor.)
Getty Images
In 1998's "Rounders," Damon had an unfortunate blond dye job to play a law student struggling with a poker addiction opposite Edward Norton.
Miramax
Damon played the title character in Steven Spielberg's 1998 WWII epic "Saving Private Ryan."
In 1999's "The Talented Mr. Ripley," Damon was a creepily seductive sociopath who pined for Jude Law's trust fund lifestyle (and his body). Damon's wasn't so shabby either, despite the bright yellow bathing suit.
Miramax
Damon teamed with George Clooney and Brad Pitt for the first time in the star-studded 2000 caper "Ocean's Eleven," which spawned two sequels.
In 2001, Damon reteamed with Ben Affleck to executive produce "Project Greenlight," a reality series that aired on HBO and chronicled the making of an indie film.
Getty Images
In 2002, Damon showed surprising action-hero moves as a trained government agent with amnesia in 2002's "The Bourne Identity."
Universal
Damon had an uncharacteristic punkish look (including a shaved head) in a cameo in 2004's "EuroTrip." He played the lead singer of a band whose main song, "Scotty Doesn't Know," reveals that Damon's been banging the longtime girlfriend of the movie's high school grad lead. Foreshadowing of his later Jimmy Kimmel stunt?
On December 9, 2005, Damon married Luciana Barroso, an Argentine-born woman he met while she was bartending in a Miami nightclub. (Two days later, they were together at the New York City premiere of "The Good Shepherd.")
He was back in fighting form in 2007's "The Bourne Ultimatum" -- which looked like it might be the final installment in the franchise.
Universal
In 2007, People Magazine named the self-described "aging suburban dad" the Sexiest Man Alive.
People
Damon has long been the affectionate target of ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, who ended his show with apologies for running out of time for the actor. But Damon turned the tables in 2008 when Kimmel's then-girlfriend Sarah Silverman introduced a videotaped song declaring, "I'm F---ing Matt Damon."
Damon packed on 20 to 30 extra pounds to play a schlubby corporate whistleblower in Steven Soderbergh's 2009 comedy "The Informant!"
Damon earned an Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actor portraying the captain of South Africa's championship 1995 rugby team in 2009's "Invictus."
Starting in 2010, Damon had a recurring role on "30 Rock" as an airline pilot named Carol who tried to woo Tina Fey's TV exec Liz Lemon.
NBC
Damon got buff (and tatted) to play a paroled car thief fighting to survive in a dystopian future in Neill Blomkamp's 2013 sci-fi movie "Elysium."
Sony
Damon earned an Emmy nomination for the 2013 HBO movie "Behind the Candelabra," camping it up as the much-younger boyfriend of the flamboyant pianist Liberace (Michael Douglas).
HBO
Damon earned his third acting Oscar nomination for Ridley Scott's 2015 space drama "The Martian" -- playing solo for much of the film as an astronaut stranded on the red planet.
After nine years, Damon returned as "Jason Bourne" in his fourth installment in the action franchise.
Universal
Damon stumbled with a big-budget dud -- and a freaky ponytail -- in Zhang Yimou's 2017 fantasy epic "The Great Wall."
Legendary
Damon reteamed with director George Clooney for the 2017 period drama set in an all-white suburb in 1959.
Paramount
In Alexander Payne's high-concept 2017 movie "Downsizing," Matt Damon and Kristen Wiig play a couple who decide to shrink themselves -- literally -- to live in a more affordable micro-world.
Paramount
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The actor has changed remarkably through the years, from his first film role to his work in the Bourne franchise