Box Office: ‘Jack Reacher: Never Go Back’ Dominates ‘Ouija 2,’ ‘Madea Halloween’ on Thursday Night

Tom Cruise’s “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” dominated its Thursday-night competition with $1.3 million at 2,850 North American locations.

The sequel easily topped “Tyler Perry’s Boo! A Madea Halloween” with $855,000 at 1,800 sites and “Ouija: Origin of Evil” with $722,000 on 2,371 screens. Action-comedy “Keeping Up with the Joneses” launched with $300,000 at about 2,400 locations.

Paramount’s “Never Go Back,” in which Cruise returns as the titular ex-army officer trying to avenge a wrongly-accused colleague, has been forecast to open with roughly $19 million at 3,280 locations. That would be a significant improvement from “Jack Reacher’s” $15.2 million debut in 2012.

The first film was a modest hit, grossing $218.3 million globally on a $60 million budget. The second installment also costs $60 million.

“Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” opened in the same vicinity as the two most recent box office winners. Ben Affleck’s “The Accountant” took in $1.4 million on Thursday night on its way to a $24.7 million launch; Emily Blunt’s “The Girl on the Train” grossed $1.2 million on Thursday night at the start of a $24.5 million opening weekend.

Universal’s “Ouija: Origin of Evil” is looking to bring in $17 million at 3,168 sites. The first “Ouija” debuted to $19.9 million in 2014, going on to make $103.6 million globally.

“Origin of Evil” should benefit from stronger reviews than the first, which carried a 7% “rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The new “Ouija” enjoys a 81% “fresh” rating on the aggregation service.

Production companies for “Origin of Evil” are horror specialist Blumhouse Productions, Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes and Hasbro.

Lionsgate’s “Boo!” is the ninth Madea movie, with the previous eight grossing nearly $380 million combined globally. “Boo!” looks likely to keep the franchise alive with about $15 million at 2,260 theaters. The film carries a $20 million budget.

Last weekend’s champ, “The Accountant,” should be in contention for the third slot, as it’s expected to drop roughly 45% from its $24.7 million debut and wind up with about $14 million in its sophomore round.

Fox’s “Keeping Up With the Joneses” is launching amid muted expectations. The action comedy, which has a $40 million budget and stars Jon Hamm, Gal Gadot, Isla Fisher, and Zach Galifianakis, has been forecast to bow with a modest $7 million from 3,022 locations.

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