Editorial

The Bottom Line: July 22, 2016: “Live Long And Prosper”

Zachary Quinto Star Trek Beyond 01

Quick Takes

The Secret Life of Pets stayed in first for its second weekend, taking in $50.8 million. Ghostbusters opened with a solid debut in second place, while The Legend of Tarzan managed to stick around the top 5 in third place.  Finding Dory dropped down to fourth place, just barely making less than Tarzan, while Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates rounded out the top 5.

Box Office Top Five

The Secret Life of Pets is a certifiably massive hit, taking in $50.8 million and beating out the much-talked opening of Ghostbusters to take first place. Ghostbusters was no slouch though, earning $46 million to take second place – a pretty good number for a live-action comedy, and one that will likely have legs for the rest of the summer. Alexander Skarsgaard’s abs – er, sorry, The Legend of Tarzan – has continued to defy expectations, sticking around in third place to the tune of $11.4 million. Finding Dory was not far behind in fourth place, taking in $11.3 million. Finally, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates is doing ok for itself, rounding out the top 5 with $7.7 million.

Here is a look at a few films that are opening on July 22nd.

Star Trek Beyond (PG-13) 120 mins.

There hasn’t been a ton of buzz surrounding Star Trek Beyond, but that looks poised to change, as early reviews indicate it may be the best of the rebooted Star Trek series. Bringing on director Justin Lin (of the Fast and Furious series) and screenwriter Simon Pegg seems to have injected the franchise with some fresh blood, and I think this could be a big surprise hit for the summer, especially after Star Trek Into Darkness largely disappointed Trekkies everywhere. Expect for Star Trek Beyond to win the weekend at the box office – the real test will be next weekend, when it goes up against the opening of Matt Damon’s return to Jason Bourne.

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Lights Out (R) 81 mins.

Based on a short film of that made the rounds on the internet a few years ago, Lights Out is getting pretty good reviews and the trailers effectively sell a creepy concept. Plus, it’s produced by James Wan, whose connection to The Conjuring films might help drive some audiences to this thing. Still, with stiff competition from Pets and Ghostbusters, it might not open as high as those Conjuring films do. I’m thinking this will debut at number five, and become a sleeper hit.

Ice Age: Collision Course (PG) 100 mins.

In other news, they’re still making Ice Age movies. It’ll be interesting to see how this one does, especially when Pets and Dory are already targeting the same demographic. These movies have made less and less in the US, but they make a lot of money overseas. Still, with brand familiarity on its side, I could see this opening in third or fourth place.

 The Bottom Line

Star Trek Beyond will boldly go where several Star Trek films have gone before, opening at number one. Ghostbusters and The Secret Life of Pets will swap places, so that Ghostbusters stays in second while Pets drops to third. Ice Age: Collision Course will open in fourth place, with Lights Out opening up in fifth to round out the Top 5. If The Legend of Tarzan somehow manages to sneak into the Top 5 again, I’ll eat my hat.

Movies To Look Forward To:

Jason Bourne (July 29), Suicide Squad (August 5).

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Michael Smith

Mike Smith is an avid filmgoer from New York who loves to hear his own voice - luckily his work as a podcaster on FilmBook allows him to do just that. Mike graduated from The College of Saint Rose in Albany with a degree in communications, and is ready to dole out critical analysis of all your pop culture fixations. Mike is the host of FilmBookCast and can frequently be seen at his local movie theater, patiently explaining to his friends that Superman Returns is a misunderstood masterpiece.
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