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 second weekend of The Wolverine took second spot with $21.7 million, which is a pretty steep drop of 60% from its first weekend, but it was still enough to beat Smurfs 2. The little blue men took $18.7 of the weekend and $27.7 million since if opened last Wednesday. That’s behind the $35 million of the first film and the lowest start of any of this summer’s family film. Even Turbo, which most considered a flop, started better.
It’s now going to have to hope that like the first movie its gross will hold up over the coming weeks and turn it into a true hit (and also that it makes a lot of cash internationally).
Take a look below for the US box office top 10 for the weekend of August 2nd-4th.
| Rank | Title | Weekend Gross (millions) | Total Gross to date (millions) |
| 1 | 2 Guns | $27.3 | $27.3 |
| 2 | The Wolverine | $21.7 | $95.0 |
| 3 | The Smurfs 2 | $18.2 | $27.7 |
| 4 | The Conjuring | $13.6 | $108.5 |
| 5 | Despicable Me 2 | $10.3 | $326.6 |
| 6 | Grown Ups 2 | $8.1 | $116.4 |
| 7 | Turbo | $6.4 | $69.4 |
| 8 | Red 2 | $5.6 | $45.1 |
| 9 | The Heat | $4.7 | $149.5 |
| 10 | Pacific Rim | $4.5 | $92.9 |
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.
It’s a big swing from 18 months ago when Taylor Lautner fever made it look like the young actor was going to take over Hollywood and he was asking massive amounts of money despite his lack of experience, as now the Twilight star is in talks for a supporting role in Grown Ups 2 for Sony Pictures and director Dennis Dugan.