Box Office: "10 Cloverfield Lane" Scares Away Competition on Thursday Night

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Paramounts apocalyptic thriller 10 Cloverfield Lane scared away the competition, opening to a solid $1.8 million at about 2,500 locations on Thursday night.

Sonys spy spoof The Brothers Grimsby launched with a quiet $235,000 at Thursday showings. Focus Features faith-based The Young Messiah took in a moderate $475,000 at 1,300 locations in previews. Meanwhile, The Perfect Match scored $155,000 at 790 sites last night.

Disneys second weekend of the animated comedy Zootopia will easily win the frame with at least $40 million following its impressive $75 million debut last weekend.

The launch for 10 Cloverfield Lane is in the same neighborhood as 2011s Super 8, which took in $1.5 million in previews and opened to a $35.5 million weekend, and 2014s Edge of Tomorrow with $1.8 million in previews and a $28.8 million launch.

10 Cloverfield Lane, starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman and John Gallagher Jr., is pegged for about $20 million at 3,391 locations. Developed by J.J. Abrams Bad Robot Prods. as a spiritual successor to 2008s found-footage horror film Cloverfield, the thriller, which has a modest $15 million budget, is set in a bleak near-future Louisiana.

Critics have offered strong support to 10 Cloverfield Lane with a 92% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Brothers Grimsby, starring Sacha Baron Cohen and Mark Strong, has been forecast to open with about $8 million at 2,235 locations. Thats well below the openings for Baron Cohens Bruno ($30 million), Borat ($26.4 million) and The Dictator ($17.4 million).

Baron Cohen and Strong play long-lost brothers who are reunited while Strongs character is on a spy mission. The film is replete with edgy humor, including a scene in which presidential candidate Donald Trump contracts AIDS.

The Young Messiah, starring Adam Greaves-Neal as Jesus, has been marketed to the Christian community and is pegged to generate about $7 million from 1,761 domestic locations.

The Lionsgate and Codeblack Films romantic comedy The Perfect Match is expected to reel in $5 million at 925 sites. Terrence J, Cassie Ventura, Donald Faison and Paula Patton star in the film.

Source: http://variety.com/2016/film/news/box-office-10-cloverfield-lane-brothers-grimsby-thursday-1201727942/