The Maze Runner, the latest Hollywood film about young adults caught in a life-or-death nightmare, led the box office in its debut last weekend.
The film, from 20th Century Fox, collected $32.5 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales, according to Rentrak Corp. A Walk Among the Tombstones, a thriller from Universal Pictures, placed second with $12.7 million, while a third new release, This Is Where I Leave You, captured the No. 3 spot for Warner Bros. with $11.5 million.
The so-called teen dystopia films gained attention in 2012 when Lionsgate Entertainment's The Hunger Games became a surprise hit. That studio followed with Divergent and Ender's Game, while others, including Fox, have ventured into the genre.
"At Fox, they should be very pleased," said Paul Dergarabedian, Rentrak senior media analyst. "To have a $32.5 million opening in September is actually really good."
The Maze Runner, based on a young-adult novel by James Dashner, tells the story of a group of boys who find themselves in a glade with a dangerous maze as their only exit.
"Their decision to create a new franchise based around this very popular series of books was a smart one," Dergarabedian said. "For every one of these that does well, there are many that don't. It's very difficult to tap into that young adult audience and have success."
Their gamble paid off, he said.
The Maze Runner was forecast to collect $37 million in its debut, according to BoxOffice.com. It had a budget of $34 million, according to Box Office Mojo. The film received 63 percent positive reviews, according to Rottentomatoes.com, which aggregates critics' responses.
"The Maze Runner puts a refreshingly primitive slant on dystopia," wrote Sheri Linden in a review for the Los Angeles Times. "Marc Fisichella's production design is a vivid, earthy rendering of Dashner's imagined world."
A Walk Among the Tombstones stars Liam Neeson and is based on Lawrence Block's best-selling series of mystery novels. The film cost $28 million to make, according to Box Office Mojo.
Critics logged by Rottentomatoes.com registered 66 percent positive reviews.
"I thought Liam Neeson's movie would do a bit better," Dergarabedian said. "This one was rated R, so it came in a little on the lower end of expectations."
Neeson plays former New York Police Department officer Matt Scudder working as an unlicensed private investigator. He agrees to help a heroin trafficker, played by Dan Stevens, hunt down the men who kidnapped and murdered his wife.
"Nasty, brutal and unforgiving, A Walk Among the Tombstones is one of those rare contemporary cinematic offerings: intelligent pulp," wrote Manohla Dargis, in a review for The New York Times.
The film was written and directed by Scott Frank, whose credits include Get Shorty and Minority Report.
Also making its debut was This Is Where I Leave You, a comedy from Warner Bros. starring Jason Bateman and Tina Fey. The film tells the story of four grown siblings who return to their childhood home after their father dies. The film also features Jane Fonda and Rose Byrne.
This Is Where I Leave You was projected to generate $11.5 million, according to BoxOffice.com. The film cost $20 million to make, the estimate of Box Office Mojo.
No Good Deed, a low-budget thriller from Columbia starring Idris Elba, returned in its second week to place fourth. It collected $9.7 million.
Weekend sales for the top 10 films rose 30 percent, to $91.1 million, from a year earlier. Sales for the year to date have fallen 5.5 percent, to $7.56 billion.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Rentrak, are:
The Maze Runner, 20th Century Fox, $32,512,804, 3,604 locations, $9,021 average, $32,512,804, one week.
A Walk Among the Tombstones, Universal, $12,758,780, 2,712 locations, $4,705 average, $12,758,780, one week.
This Is Where I Leave You, Warner Bros., $11,558,149, 2,868 locations, $4,030 average, $11,558,149, one week.
No Good Deed, Columbia, $9,794,188, 2,175 locations, $4,503 average, $39,702,240, two weeks.
Dolphin Tale 2, Warner Bros., $8,868,076, 3,656 locations, $2,426 average, $26,932,970, two weeks.
Guardians of the Galaxy, Disney, $5,242,286, 2,846 locations, $1,842 average, $313,731,317, eight weeks.
Let's Be Cops, 20th Century Fox, $2,706,037, 2,312 locations, $1,170 average, $77,226,708, six weeks.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Paramount, $2,650,345, 2,348 locations, $1,129 average, $185,018,334, seven weeks.
The Drop, Fox Searchlight, $2,070,660, 1,192 locations, $1,737 average, $7,710,361, two weeks.
If I Stay, Warner Bros., $1,842,342, 2,371 locations, $777 average, $47,679,119, five weeks.
The Hundred-Foot Journey, Disney, $1,143,948, 1,253 locations, $913 average, $51,479,879, seven weeks.
When the Game Stands Tall, Columbia, $1,082,265, 1,702 locations, $636 average, $28,338,578, five weeks.
The Giver, The Weinstein Co., $965,883, 1,607 locations, $601 average, $43,036,830, six weeks.
Tusk, A24 Films, $846,831, 602 locations, $1,407 average, $846,831, one week.
Lucy, Universal, $736,815, 788 locations, $935 average, $124,818,275, nine weeks.
The November Man, Relativity Media, $701,631, 1,478 locations, $475 average, $24,384,208, four weeks.
Dr. Cabbie, Entertainment One Films, $694,094, 55 locations, $12,620 average, $694,094, one week.
As Above, So Below, Universal, $684,320, 1,070 locations, $640 average, $20,565,590, four weeks.
My Old Lady, Cohen Media Group, $483,706, 170 locations, $2,845 average, $681,067, two weeks.
The Skeleton Twins, Roadside Attractions, $432,031, 49 locations, $8,817 average, $937,901, two weeks.
MovieStyle on 09/26/2014