Though family films are usually a powerful driver at box offices around the world, it appears that America was more keen to embrace a stalkery, occasionally shirtless Idris Elba this week in psycho-thriller No Good Deed, which launched at the top of the box office there according to studio estimates.
The film finds Elba as a jailbird recently denied parole who escapes during a transport and ends up at the home of single mother Taraji P. Henson. It earned $24.5 million in its first weekend, already making back more than its production budget and proving that even when he’s being a twisted, dangerous yet charming psycho, Idris Elba can draw them in. While the box office in the States remains in the doldrums, there can still be surprises.
Swimming into second place is Dolphin Tale 2, which continues the story of Winter, the real-life dolphin resident in a Florida aquarium who was given a prosthetic tail. The follow-up, in which she finds a new friend to share her accommodations, didn’t go over as smoothly with critics, and its launch figure of $16.5 million is down from the original’s $19.1 million. Perhaps for any Dolphin Tale 3, she’ll consider a crossover? Winter Vs. Jaws: Fin It To Win It, anyone?
Box office champ – and reigning US earner – Guardians Of The Galaxy finally relinquished the top spot, dropping to third place. But the film has now earned more than $300 million in the US alone and is past $611 million globally. Given its recent Japanese launch, expect the movie to take in even more, cementing it as yet another Marvel success story. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles held on well, falling just two places to fourth with $4.8 million this weekend. And Let’s Be Cops was down to fifth, adding $4.3 million for a $72.9 million US total to date.
Tom Hardy’s latest, The Drop, landed in sixth place despite only opening on 809 screens (compared to, say, Dolphin Tale 2 on 3,656) so chalk that up as a success for the drama, which took in $4.2 million. That put it ahead of If I Stay, which tumbled from fourth to seventh and $4 million, while Pierce Brosnan action thriller The November Man sank to eighth with $2.7 million. **The Giver **took $2.6 million in ninth while The Hundred-Foot Journey rustled up $2.4 million as it fell one place to 10th.
To see Idris Elba put a dolphin in a chokehold in the full chart listings, head to Box Office Mojo.*
Not really. Big Dris is a friend to all animals.*
** Except Kaiju.