'The Invitation' Opens Top As August Box Office Ends With A Moan

In a summer that often sees only one new large-scale release per week At the end of the day, three new films hit theaters on Friday: Sony's horror thriller "The Invitation," George Miller's "Three Thousand Years of Longing" and bank heist flick "Breaking," starring John Boyega. However, none of them seem to have much of an impact, as the total box office projects a sum of between $50 and $60 million. It would not only be the worst weekend of the summer, but also the worst since February.

'The Invitation' is ahead of the other two as it looks like it's a contender for the weekend's top spot with a measly $6 million to $7 million gross from 3,114 locations when it opened. Critics didn't really care about the film — it earned a 40% approval rating from global review website Rotten Tomatoes — and audiences were perhaps less enthusiastic. The film holds a "C" rating from research firm Cinema Score, indicating a rather sleepy reception from consumers in general.

Even so, "The Invitation" is the favorite to open atop a theatrical wasteland of remnants of the summer season and non-runners of August. Luckily, Sony's horror flick was a modest bet, carrying a production of just $10 million.

Directed by Jessica M. Thompson and starring Nathalie Emmanuel and Thomas Doherty, "The Invitation" follows Evie (Emmanuel), an American girl visits her long-lost cousin in the English countryside, to uncover the family's sinister secrets.

Going down the chart, "Three thousand years of nostalgia" seems to break out of the top five after gaining 1, $16 million in 2,346 locations on Friday. Things have been looking gloomy for the United Artists Releasing film for a few months now, as the general feeling from the Cannes Film Festival premiere of "Three Thousand Years" was that the film would not be commercial enough to recoup its hefty $60 production budget. millions of dollars. .

Directed by Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba, "Three Thousand Years of Longing" focuses on the encounter of an academic with a jinn, who offers to grant his three wishes. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures is handling domestic distribution, in association with FilmNation Entertainment, Elevate Production Finance and Sunac.

Finally, the Bleeker Street release "Breaking" is likely to land outside the top ten, projecting a tiny $1 million weekend gross from 902 locations. The film is based on the true story of a Navy vet who holds people hostage in a bank while on the verge of homelessness. In addition to Boyega, the film stars Michael K. Williams in the late actor's final role.

Sony's "Bullet Train" is looking to claim the money, projecting a 30% drop from compared to last weekend for $5.5 million gross. Within four weekends of its release, the Brad Pitt action vehicle increased its domestic revenue to $78 million.

Paramount's "Top Gun: Maverick" recorded another slim decline, losing only 17% in its 14th release weekend. It's a testament to the longevity of Tom Cruise's sequel -- and the bleakness of the current landscape -- that the film could claim third place three months after its initial release. 'Maverick' is set to push its North American gross to $691 million this weekend, closing in on Marvel's 'Black Panther' ($700 million) to enter the all-time box top five -national office.

Last weekend's "Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero" champion is in a close battle for fourth place. Crunchyroll's output plummeted on Friday, dropping 78% since its first day grossing $1.3 million. After dazzling with a $21 million debut last weekend, it seems most 'Dragon Ball' fans who wanted to see 'Super Hero' gave theaters priority, leading to a rather busy performance. The animated film should push its d...