Movies
Box Office Recap: ‘Our Brand Is Crisis’, ‘Burnt’ Flop Over Halloween Weekend
Matt Damon’s space adventure The Martian won the Halloween weekend, dropping just 28 percent and raking in another $11.4 million.
In total, the film has pulled in $182.8 million domestically, closing in on Gladiator’s $187.7 million as director Ridley Scott’s highest earning film to date.
Following in second place at the box office is Goosebumps with $10.2 million, while Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies took in $8.1 million for a third place finish. The family friendly feature and the Cold War drama earned $57.1 million and $45.2 million thus far, respectively. Hotel Transylvania 2 finished in fourth place, adding $5.8 million to its $156 million grand total.
Newcomers for the weekend included Our Brand Is Crisis, Burnt, and Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse – all of which opened below expectations.
Director David Gordon’s Our Brand Is Crisis debuted with $3.4 million from 2,202 locations, placing eighth for the weekend. With a C plus CinemaScore and a 32 percent “fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes, the film stars Sandra Bullock as an American political strategist working on a Bolivian presidential election. Warner Bros. distributed the $28 million production and co-financed the film with Participant Media.
“The weekend results for Our Brand Is Crisis are upsetting. The film was truly a collaboration between the studio and the filmmakers, and Sandy’s performance is terrific in this film. We cherish our relationship with her. Ultimately, neither the concept of the story nor our campaign connected with moviegoers,” Warner Bros. president of worldwide marketing and distribution Sue Kroll said.
John Wells’ Burnt, starring Bradley Cooper earned $5 million in 2,900 theaters, taking the fifth place spot at the box office. The $20 million production features Cooper as a chef trying to make his comeback in the culinary world. Burnt, which also stars Sienna Miller, Daniel Bruhl, Omar Sy, Matthew Rhys, Alicia Vikander, Uma Thurman and Emma Thompson, received a B minus CinemaScore and a 29 percent “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
“It’s a small film and we didn’t spend a ton of money on it, but we were obviously hoping for more,” said Erik Lomis, the Weinstein Company’s distribution chief. “We love Bradley and he worked so hard on it with John Wells. It’s a passion project that hit a tough weekend.”
The weekend’s third new wide-release was the R-rated zombie comedy Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, which debuted to $1.8 million from 1,509 theaters. The film, about three scouts who discover the true meaning of friendship when they attempt to save their town from a zombie outbreak, earned a 32 percent “fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and a B minus CinemaScore from moviegoers.
New films hoping to revive the box office are The Peanuts Movie and Spectre, which are slated to hit theaters in the next few days.
“All I can say is thank God Charlie Brown and James Bond are coming to save the day,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Rentrak.
Top 10 Films at Weekend Box Office: October 30- November 1
- The Martian — $11.4 million
- Goosebumps — $10.2 million
- Bridge of Spies — $8.1 million
- Hotel Transylvania 2 — $5.8 million
- Burnt — $5.0 million
- The Last Witch Hunter — $4.8 million
- Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension — $3.5 million
- Our Brand Is Crisis— $3.4 million
- Crimson Peak — $3.1 million
- Steve Jobs — $2.6 million