Neill Blomkamp's dystopian robot film 'Chappie' came in No. 1 with a soft 13.3 million dollars, while Vince Vaughn's comedy 'Unfinished Business' bombed with 4.8 million dollars making it the worst opening weekend of his career.
Sony's 'Chappie' launched to 4.5 million dollars on Friday in the U.S. Blomkamp's third film was far behind his previous two (dystopian thrillers as well): 'District 9,' which opened to 37.4 million dollars in 2009, and 'Elysium,' which launched to 29.8 million dollars in 2013, Fox News reported.
Made on a modest 49 million dollars budget (financed partly by MRC and LStar Capital) and shot in South Africa, much like the low-budget hit 'District 9,' the Johannesburg-set film could do better business overseas as it opens simultaneously in 53 markets, including the U.K., Germany, France and Russia.
Fox's R-rated comedy 'Unfinished Business' opened to 1.8 million dollars (behind two other Fox films, including the fourth weekend of 'Kingsman: The Secret Service') on track for a disappointing 5 million dollars weekend.
Another new entry, Fox Searchlight's 'The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,' checked in to third place with 2.7 million dollars on Friday, despite playing in just 1,563 theaters. The pic was up against 'Kingsman: The Secret Service' for third on its way to an 8 million dollars weekend stay.
Will Smith's 'Focus' was runner-up, earning 2.9 million dollars on Friday after opening to a muted No. 1 last weekend. Warner Bros.' crime drama aims to gross 9.5 million dollars -plus by Sunday.
'Kingsman: The Secret Service' came in fourth on Friday with 2.2 million dollars in its fourth frame, but will likely work its way up to third with north of 8 million dollars this weekend.
Paramount's 'The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water' rounded out the weekend's top five, raking in an estimated 1.4 million dollars on Friday for a weekend of about 7 million dollars, which would raise it cume to just under 150 million dollars.
This weekend continues the last two weekends' box office slump. It's down 40 percent from this time last year, when '300: Rise of an Empire' grossed 45 million dollars and 'Mr. Peabody and Sherman' reeled in 32.2 million dollars.
