‘Maze Runner’ Races to $1.1 Million in Late Thursday Night Screenings

The YA film from Fox is aiming for $30 million for the weekend

“The Maze Runner” is off to a modestly fast start.

Fox’s YA sci-fi flick made $1.1 million in late Thursday night showings, on 2,200 screens. The film, which stars “Teen Wolf” actor Dylan O’Brien and represents Wes Ball’s directorial debut, is aiming to make around $30 million over the weekend.

By way of comparison, the star-laden sci-fi epic “Ender’s Game” grossed $1.4 million from its Thursday screenings on its way to a $27 million No. 1 opening in November last year. Summit Entertainment’s “Divergent” took in $4.9 million from Thursday early screenings on its way to $54 million debut in March.

Also read: Why the Dylan O’Brien Factor Will Boost ‘Maze Runner’ at Box Office

The $34 million film will screen in 3,598 theaters nationwide, including 351 IMAX theaters and 360 Premium Large Format screens.

“We’re looking to do something that hasn’t been done before,” Fox distribution chief Chris Aronson told TheWrap earlier this week, “and that’s launch a young adult franchise in September.”

Also read: ‘The Maze Runner’ Review: Dylan O’Brien Trapped in a Labyrinth That Goes Nowhere Interesting

The film is an adaptation of the first novel of author James Dashner’s bestselling book trilogy, which could mean four movies given the pattern carved out by YA hits such as “Harry Potter,” “Twilight,” and “The Hunger Games.”

Meanwhile, the Liam Neeson-starring detective film “A Walk Among the Tombstones” grossed $428,000 at late shows in 1,918 theaters on Thursday night. The flick, which co-stars Dan Stevens and Boyd Holbrook, among others, was written and directed by Scott Frank, from one of Lawrence Block’s many Matt Scudder novels.

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