Male strippers and the return of the Terminator were not enough to excite moviegoers, who instead flocked to leftovers such as Jurassic World and Inside Out during the Fourth of July weekend.
Warner Bros’ Magic Mike XXL and Paramount Pictures’ Terminator Genisys fell short of tracking expectations, grossing an estimated $12 million (Dh44 million) and $28.7 million, respectively, from Friday through Sunday in the United States and Canada. The films were expected to gross $50 million to $60 million each through the weekend; instead, Terminator Genisys had an estimated five-day total of $44.2 million, and Magic Mike XXL had a total of $27.1 million.
Meanwhile, Jurassic World and Inside Out hung onto the top two spots at the box office. Universal Pictures’ latest dinosaur adventure made $30.9 million in its fourth weekend, raising its domestic haul to $558.2 million. Pixar’s critically acclaimed animated feature added $30.1 million, bringing its total to $246.2 million.
That the Fourth of July fell on a Saturday dealt a blow to ticket sales, as some moviegoers likely skipped theatres for barbecues and fireworks. The holiday can be one of the most robust of the year. In 2011, when the Fourth fell on a Monday, Transformers: Dark of the Moon set records with a $97.8 million weekend.
This year, however, “the box office was off,” said Dan Fellman, Warner Bros’ head of domestic distribution. “In some respects, the Fourth of July is becoming more and more like a Super Bowl day where, even if you aren’t into the fireworks, you are doing other things.”
The last time the holiday fell on a Saturday was in 2009, when Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and Public Enemies went up against Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. All three of the top films had relatively soft weekends, and grosses fell 33 per cent to 40 per cent from Friday to Saturday.
“We all expected the Saturday to be off, but it felt like everyone was still at work Wednesday and Thursday and not focused on holiday moviegoing,” said Megan Colligan, Paramount’s president of domestic marketing and distribution. “The start for the weekend didn’t feel as exuberant as it needed to feel across the board.”
