'Sully' wins again, but 'Blair Witch' is already a box office moneymaker
Sully will close its second week in release with a return trip to the top spot in the box office, but that's not necessarily bad news for newcomer Blair Witch.
The 17-years-later sequel -- let's just forget Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows ever existed -- copies the 1999 original's found-footage format and low-budget production. It follows a group of unsuspecting victims as they search for answers in the same creepy forest setting as the first movie.
The $5 million-budgeted feature from director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett -- the same duo behind the Blair Witch Project-inspired V/H/S movies -- earned an estimated $9.7 million at the domestic box office.
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It's not even close to Sully, which picked up an estimated $22 million this weekend. But Lionsgate has to be looking at nearly $10 million for Blair Witch as a win, especially in the midst of its less-than-stellar reception from critics.
Bridget Jones's Baby and Snowden -- the weekend's other big newcomers -- are close to Blair Witch in their box office estimates, with $8.2 million and $8 million, respectively. Blair Witch will still likely finish the weekend at #2, but it's not clear which of the other two will claim #3.
In general, it's been a quiet start to September compared to last year. Five Sept. 2015 releases opened at more than $20 million, compared to just one -- Sully, with $35 million -- in 2016.
There's still one weekend left for the month, with upcoming releases Storks and The Magnificent Seven both having a shot at joining Sully in the $20 million-plus club.
The former is a family-friendly play at a time when there's are few options for moviegoing parents. And the latter is our first action blockbuster since Ben Hur flopped a month ago, and its ensemble cast -- featuring Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt and Ethan Hawke -- can certainly draw a crowd.
Topics Film
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
