The old school disaster flick San Andreas pretty much destroyed the box office this weekend, coming in well above expectations with $53 million, making it Dwayne Johnson's biggest solo opening ever. Meanwhile the other opener this weekend, Cameron Crowe's Aloha, didn't even make the top five, earning just $10 million to go along with the absolutely scathing reviews it received from critics. It's been a long downhill ride for Crowe over the last 15 years- after the four great films he started out with (Say Anything, Singles, Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous), it's been nothing but disappointment ever since. Which is too bad, because Say Anything and Almost Famous in particular are two of my favorite movies, and it's sad to think some directors just flatline after showing so much promise.
Last week's opener Tomorrowland fell a harsh 60% from its so-so opening weekend, pulling in just $13 million for the three days, coming behind Pitch Perfect 2, so that will turn out to be a bust, while Mad Max: Fury Road and Avengers rounded out the top five, bringing their own respective domestic totals to over $100 million and $427 million. But San Andreas is the champ for the week, as The Rock continues to show himself a reliable box office draw after his other success with Furious 7 in April.
Top 5:
- San Andreas- $53 million
- Pitch Perfect 2- $14.3 million
- Tomorrowland- $13.8 million
- Mad Max: Fury Road- $13.6 million
- Avengers: Age of Ultron- $11 million
Some limited release successes continue to be Far From the Madding Crowd (now over $8 million) and Ex Machina (at $23 million), while next week Melissa McCarthy's well received Spy is set to hit theaters and will no doubt be another hit for the comedy star. Also coming out in limited is the Brian Wilson biopic Love & Mercy.
