Last Updated on August 2, 2021
Boo! Madea scares off the competition!
Tyler Perry once again donned his dress and wig for audience amusement this weekend and put BOO! A MADEA HALLOWEEN on top at the box office with an estimated opening of $27.6 million!
The seventh movie in Perry's Madea franchise had a strong start, only surpassed by the $30 million opening of MADEA'S FAMILY REUNION in 2006 and the series high $41 million for MADEA GOES TO JAIL in 2009.
Perry's PG-13 costume comedy had a reported cost of $20 million. Critics weren't entirely overjoyed to see the filmmaker back in women's clothing, giving BOO! an average of 31% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Tom Cruise decided to go back to Jack Reacher for JACK REACHER: NEVER GO BACK, but had to settle for second place with an opening of $23 million. The actor's second time as author Lee Child's roving ex-military badass did get a better start than the $15.2 million opening of 2012's JACK REACHER, which went on to $80 million domestic and $218 million worldwide.
The new sequel, which switched out original director Christopher McQuarrie with Cruise's THE LAST SAMURAI collaborator Ed Zwick, reportedly cost $60 million to make and has collected an additional $31 million overseas. The PG-13 action-thriller didn't blow away critics, who gave it an average 40% on Rotten Tomatoes. (Read the JoBlo review HERE!)
The only straight horror option this Halloween season was OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL, which opened in third with $14 million. The new PG-13 supernatural spooker, which only cost a reported $9 million, came up short of the $19.8 million opening for the first OUIJA in October 2014. The scary sequel scored a shocking 81% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. (Check out the JoBlo review right HERE.)
Last weekend's winner THE ACCOUNTANT adjusted its figures to fourth place with $14 million, a loss of 43% from its opening. The R-rated Ben Affleck action-drama has a ten-day domestic total of $47.9 million (on a reported budget of $44 million).
THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN pulled into fifth place with $7.2 million. The Emily Blunt thriller, adapted from the bestselling Paula Hakwins novel, has crossed $100 million worldwide on its third weekend in theaters. MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN followed in sixth with $6 million as the Tim Burton-directed fantasy has reached $224 million worldwide.
Opening in seventh was KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES with $5.6 million. The new action-comedy, which has suburban couple Zach Galifianakis and Isla Fisher discovering new neighbors Jon Hamm and Gal Gadot are spies, cost a reported $40 million. Critics weren't charmed by the espionage antics (from SUPERBAD director Greg Mottola), giving the movie 17% on Rotten Tomatoes. (The JoBlo review is HERE.)
Kevin Hart's stand-up act KEVIN HART: WHAT NOW? dropped to eighth place with $4.1 million, a plunge of 65% from last weekend's second-place opening. The comedian's third performance movie has a ten-day domestic total of $18.9 million.
The animated STORKS was in ninth place with $4 million, while the Mark Wahlberg/Kurt Russell drama DEEPWATER HORIZON sank to the bottom with $3.6 million for a domestic total of $55.2 million after a month in release.
Outside the chart, THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN rode off into the sunset along with MIDDLE SCHOOL: THE WORST YEARS OF MY LIFE. The Tom Hanks drama SULLY finally landed beyond the Top 10 (with $120 million domestic), and THE BIRTH OF A NATION disappeared after two weeks on the list.
In limited release, the acclaimed indie drama MOONLIGHT had an enormous $103k per-screen average, the highest of the year so far. Chan-wook Park's crime drama THE HANDMAIDEN also had an impressive $91k per-screen average.
Next weekend has director Ron Howard reteaming with Tom Hanks for their third Dan Brown adaptation INFERNO (which has already gathered $94 million in international release).
What is your favorite movie directed by Ron Howard? VOTE HERE!
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