Sony’s ‘Ghostbusters’ Doesn’t Hit Number One But Traps Solid $46M Opening Weekend

While it didn’t end up taking the top spot from The Secret Life Of Pets, Sony’s Ghostbusters reboot scored a solid $46M opening at the domestic box office this weekend. This number is a bit higher than projections which had it at $44.5M higher and could possibly tick up when the final numbers hit tomorrow morning. While some might see this number as a bit small, it’s definitely a win for the studio considering all they went through online when it came to this film and considering that initial tracking had the film opening up in the $30M range. This marks the biggest opening for director Paul Feig & star Melissa McCarthy as well as the biggest opening for a comedy since 2015’s Pitch Pefect 2. It’s also the third biggest opening for a live-action film this summer and the second-biggest live-action film that doesn’t feature superheroes.

It’s going to be interesting seeing if Ghostbusters performs more like a typical blockbuster (which are usually more frontloaded) or similar to previous Feig & McCarthy collaborations which have had solid legs and great multipliers such as Bridesmaids (6.5x), The Heat (4x) and Spy (3.7x). Sony is likely hoping for the latter considering the film’s $144M budget and hopes to relaunch the franchise with this film. Internationally the film scared up an additional $19.1M in select markets, opening up at number one in the UK with $6.1M as well as Australia with $3.7M. It scared up $2.2M in Brazil but wasn’t able to dethrone Finding Dory, which has held the top spot there for three weeks in a row. The film will open up in more key markets over the next few weeks, so be sure to check back for further updates.

Source: Deadline