‘Jack Reacher’ Fights to Top of Thursday Box Office With $1.3 Million
Tom Cruise‘s “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” battled its way past a crowded field to top the Thursday night box office, taking in $1.3 million in previews.
The movie from Paramount and Skydance is a follow-up to “Jack Reacher,” which opened to just $15 million in December 2012, but went on to make $218 million worldwide. “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” is expected to bring in up to $23 million across 3,780 theaters, which should be enough to carry the film to the top spot this weekend, despite its subpar reviews — the movie has a 37 percent rating on critic aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. Paramount has a more conservative estimate in the high teens for the movie, which has a production budget of $60 million.
With Halloween just around the corner, it’s not surprising that horror is the genre responsible for the next two films on the Thursday box office charts.
Also Read: 'Jack Reacher,' 'Ouija,' 'Madea' Sequels Within Fighting Distance of Box Office Supremacy
Tyler Perry‘s “Boo! A Madea Halloween,” a horror-comedy from Lionsgate starring Perry as the title character, placed second Thursday night. The latest in Perry’s popular Madea franchise scared up $855,000 from screenings at around 1,800 locations on Thursday.
While it’s only playing on 2,260 screens when it opens wider on Friday — more than 1,500 fewer than “Jack Reacher” — Perry’s “Madea” franchise is a proven draw, and “Boo!” could top out north of $20 million. Lionsgate, however, is going with a more conservative mid-teens projection. Bella Thorne also stars in the film, which has a 25 percent Rotten Tomatoes score.
“Ouija: Origin of Evil” from Universal, Blumhouse, Platinum Dunes and Hasbro came in third, bringing in $722,000 in from Thursday night shows at 2,371 theaters. The film, a sequel to 2014’s “Ouija” — itself based on the iconic Hasbro board game — could reel in as much as $19 million this weekend, playing on 3,164 screens. And unlike “Ouija,” which was panned by critics, “Origin of Evil,” which stars Elizabeth Reaser and Annalise Basso, has a very solid 81 percent Rotten Tomatoes score.
The first “Ouija” was a huge windfall for Universal, taking in $104 million worldwide on a $5 million budget, and “Origin of Evil” was made for just $9 million.
The fourth and final new wide release this week is Fox’s “Keeping Up with the Joneses,” about a suburban couple caught up in an international spy plot.
The comedy, which stars Gal Gadot, Isla Fisher, Zach Galifianakis, Jon Hamm and Patton Oswalt, took in $300,000 from Thursday night showings across approximately 2,400 screens.
Also Read: 'Keeping Up with the Joneses' Review: Jon Hamm and Zach Galifianakis Waste Their Time, and Ours
“Keeping Up with the Joneses” hasn’t been favorably regarded by critics — it holds an abysmal 16 percent Rotten Tomatoes score — and is expected to place fifth this weekend with $8 million, trailing the three other newcomers and one holdover from last week, Warner Bros.’ Ben Affleck action thriller “The Accountant.” The movie will play on 3,022 screens.
Related stories from TheWrap:
'Jack Reacher: Never Go Back' Review: Tom Cruise Hits Marks, Punches Faces in Fun, Formulaic Sequel
'Jack Reacher,' 'Ouija,' 'Madea' Sequels Within Fighting Distance of Box Office Supremacy
China's Huahua Media, Shanghai Film Group Invest in 'Jack Reacher' Sequel
