In a somewhat surprising weekend, Lucy defeated Hercules at the box-office by a large margin. The Scarlett Johansson vehicle, Lucy, about a woman who unlocks the infinite power of her mind, pulled in a shocking $44 million dollars over the three-day weekend period. Audiences were eager to see Johansson in another action movie after her scene-stealing performance in Captain America: The Winter Solider.
While Brett Ratner’s film Hercules, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson did not win the weekend as many industry insiders were predicting. It pulled in $29 million dollars, good enough for a second place finish. It is interesting that crowds showed up for the intellectual action-thriller, Lucy, over the straight-up visceral action of Hercules.
This also should put the nail in the coffin of the ridiculous argument that studios have made, that female action heroes are not reliable at the box-office. From Tomb Raider to The Hunger Games we see that is an antiquated argument and hope this is a continuing development in film. (Also some on the P.O.G. staff have their fingers crossed for a Captain Marvel movie.)
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes came in at third place with $16.4 million dollars in the third week of its run.
The horror-thriller The Purge: Anarchy settled at fourth with $9.9 million.
Finally Planes: Fire & Rescue nabbed fifth place with $9.3 million dollars.
Here is the complete top 10 breakdown for the weekend of 7/25-7/27:
| RANK | MOVIE | WEEKLY GROSS | GROSS TO DATE | WEEKS IN RELEASE | # OF THEATERS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Lucy
Universal Pictures |
$44.0M | $44.0M | 1 | 3173 |
| 2 |
Hercules
Paramount Pictures |
$29.0M | $29.0M | 1 | 3595 |
| 3 |
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
20th Century Fox |
$16.4M | $172.1M | 3 | 3668 |
| 4 |
The Purge: Anarchy
Universal Pictures |
$9.9M | $51.3M | 2 | 2856 |
| 5 |
Planes: Fire & Rescue
Walt Disney Pictures |
$9.3M | $35.1M | 2 | 3839 |
| 6 |
Sex Tape
Sony Pictures |
$6.0M | $26.9M | 2 | 3062 |
| 7 |
Transformers: Age of Extinction
Paramount Pictures |
$4.6M | $236.4M | 5 | 2476 |
| 8 |
And So It Goes
Clarius Entertainment |
$4.6M | $4.6M | 1 | 1762 |
| 9 |
Tammy
Warner Bros. Pictures |
$3.4M | $78.1M | 4 | 2562 |
| 10 |
A Most Wanted Man
Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions |
$2.7M | $2.7M | 1 | 361 |
Source: Washington Post