Marvel’s latest superheroes were no match for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles over the last weekend. The heroes in a half-shell took the top spot with a weekend of advanced screenings, just edging out newcomer Into the Storm, which also had a decent opening weekend. You can read our Into the Storm review here. Turtles has been one of the few success stories of the US summer box office battle, having already taken over US$300 million worldwide since its stateside release last month. The other major success story, Guardians of the Galaxy, came in third with another impressive $1.19 million after a month in theatres.
The other major new release was Richard Linklater’s epic coming-of-age drama Boyhood, which came in at #9 with $281,058. This is decent considering that the film has already been playing in advanced screenings over the past two weekends, it is playing in a limited number of theatres, and its almost three hour runtime reduces the number of showings at each theatre. Nevertheless, audiences who have made an effort to see them film have given it an overwhelmingly positive response (read our five star review here).
| # | Film Title | Distributor | Box Office |
| 1 | TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES | PARAMOUNT | $2,099,441 |
| 2 | INTO THE STORM | ROADSHOW | $1,979,643 |
| 3 | GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY | WALT DISNEY | $1,190,608 |
| 4 | THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY | WALT DISNEY | $876,241 |
| 5 | THE INBETWEENERS 2 | ROADSHOW | $635,575 |
| 6 | IF I STAY | WARNER BROS | $577,736 |
| 7 | MAGIC IN THE MOONLIGHT | ENTERTAINMENT ONE | $518,691 |
| 8 | LUCY | UNIVERSAL | $505,679 |
| 9 | BOYHOOD | UNIVERSAL | $281,058 |
| 10 | WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS | MADMAN | $229,425 |
This week is a big one, with four major new releases vying for your attention. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is officially released this Thursday, and the film will likely take the top spot again over the weekend. Also opening is Step Up: All In, the fifth film in the dance flick franchise, which should do decent business among younger viewers. Although much of their attention may be diverted towards yet another Young Adult adaptation set in a dystopian future. The Giver, based on the novel by Lois Lowry, stars Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep and Australia’s Brenton Thwaites. For the art house crowd we have James Gray’s The Immigrant, a period drama starring Joaquin Phoenix and Marion Cotillard.
All figures from The Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia and Box Office Mojo.
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