The Scorch Trials enflames the top of the box office

Two new releases entered the theatre fray this weekend, though neither made mich of an impact. Here’s what went down:

As predicted, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials debut in first place, but it only managed to bring in $30 million, definitely off from our original prediction of $37 million. The film was also about $2 million off from the first film’s $32 million opening weekend gross, and a drop in a franchise sequel is something studios never want to see, even if it’s minimal.

As for the rest of the top five, Johnny Depp’s Black Mass debut in second place with $23 million, definitely on the short end of what observers were expecting for Depp’s much publicized comeback role. On the plus side, $23 million is a strong number for a dramatic film. Silver linings, right?

The Visit dropped to third place $11 million, bringing it’s total to $42 million. The film is already a huge success, thanks to its low $5 million budget. The Perfect Guy fell from first to fourth place with $9.6 million, while new release Everest closed things out in fifth with $7.6 million.

So, to recap, here were our predictions:

1) Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials – $37 million
2) Black Mass – $35 million
3) The Visit – $12 million
4) The Perfect Guy – $11.5 million
5) War Room – $5 million

And here’s how the weekend turned out:

1) Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials – $30 million
2) Black Mass – $23 million
3) The Visit – $11 million
4) The Perfect Guy – $9.6 million
5) Everest – $7.6 million

This Friday sees the release of Hotel Transylvania 2, The Green Inferno and The Intern. Be sure to check back on Friday to see our predictions!