Ant-Man wins the weekend but with a small number

It was a biggish weekend for Marvel’s new super-hero, but definitely not one worth bragging about. Here’s what went down:

After almost a decade in development and two years of behind the scenes drama, Marvel’s Ant-Man finally debut in theaters with great reviews and $58 million. While not a bad number, and actually in line with industry expectations (though not our own), it’s fair to say the studio wasn’t able to make this one a must-see film for a mass audience. It was the studios second lowest opening ever, with only 2008’s The Incredible Hulk doing less with $55 million. While the movie is a creative success and very well-reviewed, Ant-Man’s B-level status and the simple fact that Paul Rudd is a reliable actor but not one who can open a film is going to put an air of disappointment around this one, especially in North America, where it will be lucky to hit $150 million. Rudd will be better served in a supporting role in Captain America: Civil War and the next batch of Avengers films. 

Opening in third place with $28.4 was Judd Apatow’s Trainwreck, which is the biggest debut from the director yet. The combo of good reviews and the currently ubiquitous Amy Schumer helped give this R-rated comedy a high profile.

As for the rest of the top five, Minions was in second place with $47.3 million, raising its two week total to an outstanding $213.8 million. Jurassic World was in fourth place with $10.6 million; its total now stands at an amazing $610 million. Finally, Inside Out was in fifth place with $10.57 million, bringing its total to $305.3 million.

So, to recap, here were our predictions:

1) Ant-Man – $73 million
2) Minions – $57 million
3) Trainwreck – $25 million
4) Inside Out – $13 million
5) Jurassic World – $10 million

And here’s how the weekend turned out:

1) Ant-Man – $58 million
2) Minions – $47.3 million
3) Trainwreck – $28.4 million
4) Jurassic World– $10.6 million
5) Inside Out – $10.57 million

Next weekend sees the release of Papertowns, Pixels and Southpaw. Be sure to check back on Friday to see our predictions!