Guardians of the Galaxy will win its third weekend thanks to little competition from new releases, with As Above, So Below performing the strongest, but not enough for a top three finish.
Marvel's latest superhero film became the top grossing film of the year at the domestic box office, but also earned another $3.8 million on Friday to start the four-day period off, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film has a domestic cume of $262.1 million and an international haul of $500 million.
The film is projected to earn $18 million over the holiday weekend, which sadly will be enough to take the top spot, Forbes reports. The James Gunn directorial effort will likely pass the $300 million mark domestically before its theatrical run concludes.
As Above, So Below was second for Friday with a $3.2 million gross, Deadline notes, but the film is projected to slow down and earn only $9.2 million for the weekend, which would likely be a fourth place finish. Still, the film was cheap to produce coming in at only $5 million, so Universal and Legendary likely don't care.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles earned $2.65 million on Friday and is projected for a four-day total of $14.9 million, which would be a second place finish. The Paramount film will have grossed $165.55 million by weekend's end.
Teen drama If I Stay grossed $2.59 million and will earn $11.4 million for the weekend, which is enough for the third spot. R-rated Fox comedy Let's Be Cops should finish strong enough to round out the top five with $10 million.
Other wide release, The November Man is struggling after grossing just $2.15 million on Friday and is projected to come in just below $10 million for the weekend. The Pierce Brosnan spy flick, which cost north of $20 million, will pull in a total cume of $11 million, since it opened Wednesday.
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