While the weekend box office belonged to the opening of action-packed Denzel Washington vehicle The Equalizer from Sony (no. 1 with an estimated $35 million), Focus Features made a strong showing with LAIKA’s third stop-motion feature The Boxtrolls, which took in a healthy $17,250,000 in almost 3,500 theaters. The adaptation of Alan Snow’s Here Be Monsters, which was directed by Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi, has already accumulated $17.7m from earlier overseas releases, including in U.K., Australia and Mexico.
LAIKA’s last film, 2012’s ParaNorman, also opened at no. 3 ($14.1m), as did the Henry Selick-directed Coraline in 2009 ($16.8m), although this first outing opened in less than 3,000 theaters.
Disney/Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy hung on to the top 10, dropping just 27.7% to land at no. 8 with $3.79m (total gross $319.2m), while Paramount’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles hybrid revamp dropped $45.3% to sneak in at the no. 10 spot with $1.45m (total gross $187.2m).
The remainder of the top weekend box office contenders were Fox’s The Maze Runner coming in at no. 2 at the end of its first week out, Warner Bros.’ This Is Where I Leave You at no. 4 and Dolphin Tale 2 at no. 5, Screen Gems’ No Good Deed at no. 6, Universal’s A Walk Among the Tombstones at no. 7, and Fox’s rowdy comedy Let’s Be Cops at no. 9.
