Search form

Box Office Report: ‘The Martian’ Makes $55M U.S. Launch

Ridley Scott's space epic also dominates overseas with $45.2 million; Robert Zemeckis’ ‘The Walk’ sees soft limited IMAX debut.

Ridley Scott's 3D space epic The Martian blasted off with a $55 million opening in North America, coming in ahead of expectations to reach the second-highest October opening of all time. The Martian, from 20th Century Fox, comes exactly two years after Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity, the current record holder, opened to a whopping $55.8 million. Last November, Christopher Nolan's Interstellar debuted just north of $47 million.

Overseas, The Martian also placed number one, blasting off with $45.2 million from 49 markets for a global debut of $100.2 million. It soared to $10.3 million in the U.K., the top showing ever for Scott and star Matt Damon, and is pacing well ahead of Gravity and Interstellar in numerous markets.

Sony's Hotel Transylvania 2 continued to impress with a second place take of $33 million. The Adam Sandler-led CG-animated film from Sony Pictures Animation held up nicely this weekend, down just 32 percent from last weekend's already stronger than expected launch. Overseas, Hotel Transylvania 2 landed in fifth place, taking in $20.4 million from 50 overseas markets for a new international total of $59.8 million and global tally of $150.3 million.

In third place, Denis Villeneuve's critically acclaimed Sicario expanded nationwide this past weekend, grossing $12.1 million from 2,620 theaters to push the film’s domestic total to $15 million. From Lionsgate, the drug cartel drama, made for $30 million, stars Benicio Del Toro, Emily Blunt and Josh Brolin.

Nancy Meyers’ comedy The Intern, starring Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro, came in fourth place for its sophomore weekend, taking in $11.6 million from 3,320 theaters for a new domestic total of $36.5 million. Overseas, Warner Bros. film made $15.7 million from 57 markets for a total of $35.6 million at the international box office and $72.1 million worldwide.

Twentieth Century Fox’s Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials rounded up the top five with $7.6 million from 3,319 theaters for a new domestic total of $63.2 million. Overseas, the sequel neared the $150 million mark, taking in $13.7 million from 58 markets for a total of $211 million worldwide.

Warner Bros.’ Black Mass, starring Johnny Depp, came in sixth place at the domestic box office, taking in $5.9 million from 2,768 theaters for a total of $52.5 million.

Baltasar Kormakur's Everest broke the top ten in its third weekend out, taking in $5.5 million from 3,009 theaters for a new North American total of $33.1 million and a seventh place finish. From Universal, Working Title, Cross Creek Pictures and Walden Media, the adventure movie swept up another $16.4 million from 65 overseas markets, lifting its total to $103.3 million at the international box office and $136.5 million worldwide. 

M. Night Shyamalan’s The Visit came in eighth place over its fourth weekend out, taking in $3.9 million from 2,296 theaters for distributor Universal for a new domestic total of $57.6 million. Overseas, the horror title grossed $3.3 million from 30 territories, reaching a $19 million cume outside of North America for a worldwide gross of $76.7 million.

Faith-based title The War Room, released under Sony’s TriStar label, came in ninth place over its sixth weekend out. Directed by Alex Kendrick, The War Room made $2.8 million from 1,746 theaters for a new domestic total of $60.5 million.

Rounding out the list at number 10, Sony's The Perfect Guy made in $2.4 million over its fourth weekend in theaters from 1,364 locations for a new domestic total of $52.6 million.

Robert Zemeckis' The Walk, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as French artist Philippe Petit, who gained fame after he walked on a high wire between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in 1974, screened in 365 IMAX theaters ahead of its nationwide opening on October 9. The death-defying film from Sony/TriStar made $1.6 million to come in at number 11, putting its five-day debut at $2 million.

Elsewhere, Disney/Pixar’s Inside Out took $12.6 million from 25 total overseas markets, edging out Monsters University to become the fourth highest-grossing Pixar release overseas with a new international total of $438.4 million. Opening Tuesday in China, Inside Out has now made a total of $792.3 million globally, which makes it Pixar’s top earner behind only Finding Nemo.

Illumination Entertainment’s Minions continued its climb up the all-time charts this weekend, taking in $6 million from 44 territories. The animated hit now ranks as the 10th highest-grossing film and the second highest grossing animated film of all-time, both overseas with $811.4 million, and worldwide with $1.145 billion. With eight days left in China, Minions has now opened in all its international territories and is nearing the end of its run.

Box office numbers were obtained at pro.boxoffice.com.

Jennifer Wolfe's picture

Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.