It should come as no surprise thatThe Dark Toweris getting dropped like a bad habit by audiences in its second frame. For those obsessed withStephen King’s series of novels about the Gunslinger and the Man in Black, the movie must have played as if it were written and conceived by someone who read the source material while on a melatonin drip. For those who were just looking for a decent action-fantasy flick, the melatonin would likely have been a more entertaining and somewhat cheaper alternative. To see it plummet in such a manner offers a rare and pure dose of schadenfreude.
Indeed,The Dark Toweris currently in fourth place with $2.3 million, while the top spot is currently occupied byAnnabelle: Creation, the superior sequel toJohn R. Leonetti’s middlingAnnabelle, which came in with $15 million. The presumed success ofDavid F. Sandberg’s sequel – it’s looking at a $38 million weekend – continues a rather inarguable trend of horror movies with modest budgets embarrassing big-budget productions in terms of money spent vs. money earned at the domestic box office. This was the case withJordan Peele’s revelatoryGet OutandM. Night Shyamalan’s surprisingly strongSplitas well. That all three of these movies are more innovative, memorable, and entertaining than 95% of the big summer movies that have come out thus far is also worth keeping in mind.
Then again, for all I know,Annabelle: Creationwill take a hit next weekend withThe Hitman’s BodyguardandSteven Soderbergh’s sublimeLogan Luckyhitting the multiplexes. We will have to see next Friday, but it’s likely thatDunkirkwill survive whatever comes next weekend.Christopher Nolan’s war film is currently holding strong in second place with $3.1 million after weeks of racking up major numbers, suggesting that Nolan could choose a sympathetic portrait of the Khmer Rouge as his next movie and it would still do well.
Thankfully, the introduction ofThe Nut Job 2: Nutty by Naturehas sentThe Emoji Movieto the lower half of the top ten, coming in at number three with $3 million. That would just leaveMalcolm D. Lee’sGirls Trip, another hit that’s grown wildly from a modest budget and smart casting, in the fifth spot with $2 million. There’s no telling if Lee’s film will be able to stay in place through the weekend but its already taken its place as one of 2017’s great success stories alongside the aforementioned horror flicks. Let’s hope there are a few more by the end of this trainwreck year.
Here’s your top five for Friday:
Friday Domestic BO
Total Domestic BO
1. ‘Annabelle: Creation’
$15,000,000
2. ‘Dunkirk’
$3,130,000
$145,437,551
- ‘The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature’
$3,010,381
4. ‘The Dark Tower’
$2,300,000
$28,730,764
5. ‘Girls Trip’
$2,050,000
$92,723,505
