“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows,” the sequel to 2014’s film, earned a solid $2 million at the Thursday previews.
Heading into the weekend, it was tracking at a $40 million opening weekend although the studio is slightly more conservative with an estimate of $37 million.
The sequel’s production budget is $135 million — $10 million more than the 2014 reboot. “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” grossed $4.6 million at the Thursday previews two years ago. Still, $2 million isn’t bad considering this year’s sequel slump.
Starring Megan Fox, Will Arnett, Tyler Perry, Laura Linney, Stephen Amell, Noel Fisher, Jeremy Howard, Pete Ploszek and Alan Ritchson, “Out of the Shadows” was directed by Dave Green.
The film currently has a score of 35 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Tear-jerker “Me Before You,” starring Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin, grossed $1.37 million at the Thursday previews.
Heading into the weekend, the romantic film is expected to gross $14 million in its opening weekend, not bad for a film that had a production budget just over $20 million.
“Me Before You,” based on Jojo Moyes’ warmly-reviewed novel of the same name, follows Louisa Clark as she takes a job helping out a quadriplegic man, soon forging with him a bond that will change their lives forever.
It currently holds a score of 56 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
“Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping” mocked its way to $322,000 in 1,785 theaters at the Thursday previews.
Made by the guys behind Lonely Island and starring Andy Samberg, the comedy is expected to gross $7 million this weekend against its $21 million budget.
The film, a parody of music documentaries such as “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never,” has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 79 percent. It follows Conner4Real (Samberg) as he weathers the ups and downs of his pop star life, especially when his second album flops.