Warner Bros./New Line’s “It” will continue its white-hot streak with an estimated $58 million from its second weekend in theaters.
That total, which is a 52 percent drop-off from its horror record $123 million opening, will push the film’s domestic total past $200 million on the year, making it the 15th R-rated film in movie history to cross that mark and is expected to become the fourth R film to gross over $300 million. It also means that “It” is now the highest grossing September release ever, breaking a 33-year record held by “Crocodile Dundee,” which made $174.8 million in 1984.
On the flipside, there’s Paramount’s Jennifer Lawrence-starring film “mother!,” which this weekend earned a far more dubious honor: it became the 12th film ever to receive an F from audiences on CinemaScore, and now it’s expected to underperform with a $8 million opening from 2,368 screens against a reported $30 million budget. Pre-weekend projections had the film making $12-14 million.
Director Darren Aronofsky wanted to keep the film’s plot shrouded in mystery, and Paramount obliged with an enigmatic marketing campaign. But after the film’s premiere at the Venice Film Festival, word quickly got out that the film would polarize audiences with its extremely disturbing imagery, particularly during its climax. Critics were more open to the film’s provocative nature, giving it a 69 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Also releasing in theaters this weekend is Lionsgate/CBS Films’ “American Assassin,” which had a more solid performance of $15.5 million in 3,154 locations against a reported $33 million budget, putting it in second place. That’s slightly above its $12-14 million target and above the opening weekend for the first “John Wick,” which made $14 million in 2014. The film has a 37 percent RT score and a B+ on CinemaScore.
Completing this week’s top five is “Home Again” with an estimated $5.3 million in its second weekend, followed by “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” in fifth with $3.5 million in its fifth weekend.