Jeffrey Katzenberg’s DreamWorks Animation needed a hit more now than ever and Home came to save the day. Even though it’s not a sequel, the animated film has taken over the box office, easily defying expectations.
It was obvious right on Friday that the film was going to be a huge hit, as it grossed $15.6 million on that day alone. While the studio is still estimating around $55.5 million, Variety estimates that it could end up with nearly $59 million. That would give Home among the top debuts ever for an original DWA film.
Part of the film’s draw was easily its voice cast, which features The Big Bang Theory’s Jim Parsons, plus singers Rihanna and Jennifer Lopez. It also helps that there haven’t been many films for younger families at the box office this year.
Home didn’t really swing with critics though. It only has a 48 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But audiences loved it, giving it an A CinemaScore grade, notes USA Today. Home also cost $130 million to make and is distributed by Fox.
Meanwhile, Get Hard made an estimated $34.6 million. That’s actually a career high for both stars, Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart. The Warner Bros. R-rated movie provided great counter-programming this weekend.
The Divergent Series: Insurgent fell to No. 3 with just $24 million. That’s a 55 percent drop from its debut. Cinderella hung around with around $17 million, while surprise horror hit It Follows made over $3.5 million.
image courtesy of INFphoto.com