"Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation" is expected to cruise to $40 million this more
Prognosticators are expecting a relatively slow start to August despite the arrival of another installment in a $2 billion franchise starring Tom Cruise.
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With $4 million in its coffers from Thursday previews, Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation is tracking at around $40 million on the low end for the nearly 20-year-old series. The first three films all bowed to more than $45 million, and Ghost Protocol the Brad Bird-directed episode credited with revitalizing the brand after flagging interest in M:I III was an anomaly, launching in a limited Imax run to $12.8 million but adding $29.6 million on its second weekend in December 2011.
Working in Rogue Nations favor is its 93 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes as of this writing, so dont be surprised if it outpaces expectations on positive word of mouth. Even so, the weekend overall will have a hard time matching the comparable time frame last year, which saw $186 million in ticket sales led by the boffo bow of The Guardians of the Galaxy with a whopping $94 million. Year-to-date, 2015 leads last year by 8.3 percent and is ahead of the record 2013 by 0.8 percent.
Cruise returns in M:I V as Ethan Hunt, along with Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames, with Swedish actress Rebecca Ferguson joining as a formidable foil. Playing in 3,956 theaters, Paramounts PG-13 actioner, which cost $150 million to make, also opens in 40 foreign markets including the United Kingdom, Australia, Mexico and South Korea, with the important Chinese market coming online Sept. 8.
Road-tripping to 3,411 locations, Warner Bros. Vacation sequel starring Ed Helms as Rusty Griswold and Christina Applegate as his long-suffering wife got a jump on the IMF by opening on Wednesday. With 25 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, the R-rated comedy with a $31 million pricetag is looking at up to $35 million over the five-day frame.
In limited release, the Weinstein Companys YA adventure The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet from director Jean-Pierre Jeunet travels to 100 cinemas. And Radius-TWCs doc A Lego Brickumentary builds in 93 theaters.
In addition, A24s David Foster Wallace biopic The End of the Tour starring Jason Segel and Jesse Eisenberg road trips into four theaters including the ArcLight and Landmark in Los Angeles. Magnolias documentary Best of Enemies debates in five movie houses including the Landmark in West L.A. before platforming to about 70 more venues. And Showtime Networks documentary Listen to Me Marlon starts out in two dozen cinemas with 40 more to come.
Also, IFCs lesbian romantic comedy Jennys Wedding starring Katherine Heigl and Alexis Bledel walks down the aisle at the Sundance Sunset in West Hollywood and the IFC Center in New York with more dates to come. Virgil Films documentary I Am Chris Farley plays in four theaters including the Laemmle NoHo in North Hollywood with about a dozen more engagements over the next couple of weeks. Samuel Goldwyns doc That Sugar Film sprinkles in 11 movie houses including the Sundance Sunset in West Hollywood. And Music Boxs biopic Paulo Coelhos Best Story journeys into five theaters including the Musical Hall 3 in Beverly Hills.
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Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/losangeles/news/2015/07/31/box-office-preview-mission-impossible-to-accept.html
