After a couple of quiet weeks, there was a bit of a crush of new movies at the US box office this weekend, and heading into the weekend nobody was entirely certain which would end up on top. In the end it was the Matt Damon sci-fi Elysium, which took $30 million to top the chart. That’s a passable start, although not as much as the $35 million plus Sony had been hoping for.
We’re The Millers came in second with $26 million over the weekend and $38 million since it hit cinemas last Wednesday. Going into the weekend some thought the movie had a chance to come out on top, but it eased off on Saturday, although the Ed Helm and Jennifer Aniston movie still did pretty well.
After a very strong Friday, Disney’s Planes didn’t quite capitalise on that on Saturday and Sunday, ending up in third place with $22.5 million. Although it’s not a massive start compared to some other animated offerings, it only cost $50 million to make – significantly less than the $100 million plus most major CGI movies cost – so it’s still likely to turn a handsome profit.
Percy Jackson: Sea Of Monsters had less reason the cheer with a fourth place finish and a $14.6 million weekend, with the film taking $23 million since it opened last Wednesday. That’s significantly less than the $37 million the first movie opened with, and at the time even that was seen as a mediocre start. However the earlier movie did strong business outside the US, so Fox will be hoping for the same with the sequel.
Here’s the US box office top 10 for the weekend of August 9th-11th.
| Rank | Title | Weekend Gross (millions) | Total Gross to date (millions) |
| 1 | Elysium | $30.4 | $30.4 |
| 2 | We’re The Millers | $26.5 | $38.0 |
| 3 | Planes | $22.5 | $22.5 |
| 4 | Percy Jackson: Sea Of Monsters | $14.6 | $23.4 |
| 5 | 2 Guns | $11.1 | $48.5 |
| 6 | The Smurfs 2 | $9.5 | $46.6 |
| 7 | The Wolverine | $8.0 | $111.9 |
| 8 | The Conjuring | $6.7 | $120.7 |
| 9 | Despicable Me 2 | $5.7 | $338.3 |
| 10 | Grown Ups 2 | $3.7 | $123.8 |
Early last week many had expected The Smurfs 2 to take the top spot this weekend at the US box office, but in the end it had to settle for the number three spot. Topping the list was 2 Guns, with the Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington action flick taking a solid but unspectacular $27.3 million. Many have suggested that the fact the marketing concentrated on the stars and said little about the story may have held the film back.
The Wolverine has taken the US box office crown with a $55 million opening. While that’s not a bad take, and certainly better than recent disappointments such as The Lone Ranger and Pacific Rim, it’s still being seen as rather soft, as most had expected it to take $60 million plus.
Last week a sequel to The Conjuring was announced, which suggested Warner Bros had an inkling it would do well. They were right, as the James Wan directed horror movie, which cost just $20 million to make, grossed $41 million in its first three days in cinemas to top the US box office.
Despite two new big releases this week, Despicable Me managed to hold onto the top spot at the US box office for a second week, taking another $44 million for an excellent total of $229 million so far.