HOLLYWOOD—It was a competitive battle at the box-office this weekend as new releases “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows,” “Me Before You,” and “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping” did battle with “X-Men: Apocalypse” and “Alice Through the Looking Glass.” In the end, it was four mutated turtles that rose to the top. “TMNT: Out of the Shadows” rose to the top spot earning $35.3 million. While that is not a bad debut, its proof that 2016 has NOT been a great year for sequels. The flick underperformed compared to its 2014 predecessor which earned over $65 million. Yeah, considering the sequel in my opinion is far better than its predecessor that is indeed a shocker at the box-office. Landing in second place with $22.3 million is “X-Men: Apocalypse.” The flick’s box-office receipts are a far cry from “Days of Future Past.” So far, “Apocalypse” has earned domestically, what its predecessor did during its opening weekend, but on a global scale the flick has promise.
With so much action-fare in the multiplex, the romantic drama “Me Before You” found an audience to land in third place with an impressive $18.3 million. I would say the countless advertisements on television might have played a role people. “Alice Through the Looking Glass” nabbed fourth place with $10.7 million. Rounding out the top five was the animated film “The Angry Birds Movie” with $9.8 million.
This weekend sees more sequels invade the multiplex as “Now You See Me 2” and “The Conjuring 2” attempt to nab moviegoers’ money. Must say I’m anticipating “The Conjuring 2!” I mean when was the last time you saw a great scary movie.
