With awful reviews and a hackneyed premise that recalled 2013 hit The Heat (and probably a few other buddy comedies), Hot Pursuit did not generate much interest. Word-of-mouth is also lackluster, with a C+ CinemaScore hinting at a short stay in cinemas. As Pitch Perfect 2 aims for a large opening next week, don’t expect the film to have much staying power. Witherspoon’s indie hit Wild ended up with a solid $37.9 million this winter, but Hot Pursuit could even have trouble topping that.
Rounding out the top five were three April holdovers that held very well without much new competition. In third place, The Age of Adaline kept its solid run going, earning $5.6 million. It dropped just 10%, aided by Mother’s Day weekend. A total near $40 million is likely for the modestly-budgeted drama.
Meanwhile, holding up strongly in fourth was Furious 7, which fell just 21% (easily its best drop yet) to bring in another $5.3 million. The film could still pass the $350 million mark – although another movie filled with car-fueled mayhem, Mad Max: Fury Road, could be an obstacle. In fifth place, Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 made $5.2 million, a dip of just 12% from last weekend. At the end of its fourth frame, the comedy sequel has earned $58.1 million. It is on pace to finish near $70 million.
With one of the most pathetic openings in recent memory, the Jack Black-James Marsden comedy The D Train could only generate about $469,000. For some reason, despite the limited buzz, IFC decided to release it in more than 1,000 theaters. (That is a theater count threshold that the studio’s 2014 hit, Boyhood, never reached.)
Here are the numbers for the Top 10 films at the North American box office for the weekend of May 8 through 10, 2015:
1. Avengers: Age of Ultron – $77.1 million ($312.6 million total)
2. Hot Pursuit – $13.3 million (NEW)
3. The Age of Adaline – $5.6 million ($31.5 million total)
4. Furious 7 – $5.3 million ($338.4 million total)
5. Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 – $5.2 million ($58.1 million total)
6. Ex Machina – $3.5 million ($15.7 million total)
7. Home – $3 million ($162.1 million total)
8. Woman in Gold – $1.7 million ($27 million total)
9. Cinderella – $1.6 million ($196.2 million total)
10. Unfriended – $1.4 million ($30.9 million total)
NOTE: These numbers are weekend estimates based on Friday and Saturday’s estimated takes. Actual numbers for the three-day weekend are reported on Monday afternoon.