Taqi Yasir Shaan
Paramount’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows easily won the North American box-office race over the weekend even as it became the latest Hollywood sequel to come in well behind its predecessor.The family-friendly film topped the chart with $35.3 million from 3,701 theaters, more than 46 percent behind the 2014 reboot. In August of that year, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles wowed with $65.6 million on its way to grossing $493.2 million worldwide for Paramount and Nickelodeon Movies.
The male-driven sequel, once again starring Megan Fox and Will Arnett, also launched in 40 percent of the foreign marketplace this weekend, grossing $34 million for a global debut of $69.3 million (it doesn’t open in China until July 2.) As in the U.S., the tent pole came in behind the 2014 release overseas, although by a narrower margin.”Clearly, the bar is being raised in terms of sequels,” said Paramount vice chairman Rob Moore.
TMNT 2 cost $135 million to make and was produced by Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes. It played younger than the 2014 film, although both sport a PG-13 rating. “This time, 40 percent of the audience was under 18. Last time, it was 27 percent. The good news is that family movies tend to play to higher multiples,” said Moore.David Green directed TMNT 2, which also stars Laura Linney, Stephen Amell, Tyler Perry, Noel Fisher and Jeremy Howard.
X-Men: Apocalypse fell to No. 2 in its second weekend, declining 66 percent to $22.3 million from 4,153 locations for a domestic total of $116.5 million. In North America, New Line and MGM’s romantic tearjerker Mebefore You, starring Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) opposite The Hunger Games’ San Claflin, did nicely in its debut, placing No. 3 with $18.3 million from 2,704 theaters.