The Biblical epic “Noah” rode a tide of controversy to a $44 million opening, sailing past “Divergent” and into the top spot at the domestic box office this weekend.
Darren Aronofsky's adaptation of the Old Testament tale surged on Saturday and finished well ahead of expectations that had been tempered by months of negative buzz — mainly from church groups wary of the “Black Swan” director's edgy style and reports that the film strayed too far from Scripture. Distributor Paramount, which backed the film with New Regency, even added a statement at the beginning of the movie noting that it was a dramatic interpretation.
The surprising showing by “Noah” overshadowed a strong performance by Lionsgate's young-adult sci-fi tale “Divergent.” The adventure tale starring Shailene Woodley and Theo James finished second with $27.7 million, just a 49 percent drop from its big opening last weekend, and will cross the $100 million mark in the next day or two.
*Also read:* ‘Noah’ Reviews: Is Darren Aronofsky's Biblical Vision Divine or Dumb?
The weekend's only other wide opener, the Arnold Schwarzenegger action film “Sabotage,” tanked and wound up in seventh place with $5.3 million. That's the worst opening for the former California governor since he left politics for the big screen, behind the debuts of last year's “Escape Plan” ($9.2 million) and “The Last Stand” ($6.2 million).
“Noah” is the biggest opening ever as a leading man for Russell Crowe, who played the ark builder, ahead of “Robin Hood” ($36 million in 2008) and “Gladiator” ($34.8 million in 2000). And it‘s by far the biggest opening for Aronofsky, who co-wrote the script with Ari Handel, and has never directed a film with a budget anywhere near the $125 million that “Noah” cost to make.
The PG-13-rated “Noah” sailed past pre-release projections, which were in the $35 million range. But the poor “C” CinemaScore that it was given by first-night audiences – 74 percent over the age of 25 and equally split between men and women – demonstrated its polarizing nature. About 63 percent gave it an “A” or “B,” 23 percent gave it a “C” and 14 percent gave it a “D” or “F.”
*Also read:* Louis CK on ‘SNL': ‘Black Jeopardy,’ Obamacare Snoozer Spoof and ‘Dyke & Fats’ (Video)
The critics have been more positive (76 percent on Rotten Tomatoes) on the saga, which co-stars Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson, Ray Winstone and Anthony Hopkins.
“Noah” got a big boost from its 341 Imax locations, bringing in $6.2 million, or 14 percent of the gross.
Two kids movies battled for third place. “The Muppets Most Wanted,” back for its second week, beat out DreamWorks Animation's “Mr. Peabody & Sherman,” which is in its fourth week.
Disney's “Muppets” sequel was off just 31 percent from its opening weekend and could hit $11.7 million to raise its domestic total to $33.5 million. ”Peabody” will cross $100 million domestically some time this week, after holding strongly to bring in $9.5 million, just 19 percent down from last weekend.
Three movies that were in limited release went wide with varying degrees of success.
*Also read:* ‘Godzilla’ Roars at Warner Bros’ Big, Bad Marathon review
Fox Searchlight added 673 theaters for Wes Anderson's R-rated ensemble comedy “Grand Budapest Hotel” and it brought in $8.7 million from 977 sites to finish fifth. That's a 30 percent gain from last week and its domestic haul is up to $24 million after a month in release.
“God's Not Dead,” Freestyle Releasing's low-budget drama targeting the faith-based crowd, brought in $8.2 million after expanding into 1 ,164 theaters for its second weekend. That's just an 11 percent drop from last week, and it's taken in more than $21 million in two weeks.
“Bad Words,” the dark, R-rated comedy about a guy crashing a kids spelling bee that was directed by and stars Jason Bateman, couldn't crack the top ten. It took in $2.7 million after Focus Features added 755 theaters in its third week.
More to come …
The post ‘Noah’ Rides Controversy to $44 Million Box-Office Triumph appeared first on TheWrap.
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Darren Aronofsky's adaptation of the Old Testament tale surged on Saturday and finished well ahead of expectations that had been tempered by months of negative buzz — mainly from church groups wary of the “Black Swan” director's edgy style and reports that the film strayed too far from Scripture. Distributor Paramount, which backed the film with New Regency, even added a statement at the beginning of the movie noting that it was a dramatic interpretation.
The surprising showing by “Noah” overshadowed a strong performance by Lionsgate's young-adult sci-fi tale “Divergent.” The adventure tale starring Shailene Woodley and Theo James finished second with $27.7 million, just a 49 percent drop from its big opening last weekend, and will cross the $100 million mark in the next day or two.
*Also read:* ‘Noah’ Reviews: Is Darren Aronofsky's Biblical Vision Divine or Dumb?
The weekend's only other wide opener, the Arnold Schwarzenegger action film “Sabotage,” tanked and wound up in seventh place with $5.3 million. That's the worst opening for the former California governor since he left politics for the big screen, behind the debuts of last year's “Escape Plan” ($9.2 million) and “The Last Stand” ($6.2 million).
“Noah” is the biggest opening ever as a leading man for Russell Crowe, who played the ark builder, ahead of “Robin Hood” ($36 million in 2008) and “Gladiator” ($34.8 million in 2000). And it‘s by far the biggest opening for Aronofsky, who co-wrote the script with Ari Handel, and has never directed a film with a budget anywhere near the $125 million that “Noah” cost to make.
The PG-13-rated “Noah” sailed past pre-release projections, which were in the $35 million range. But the poor “C” CinemaScore that it was given by first-night audiences – 74 percent over the age of 25 and equally split between men and women – demonstrated its polarizing nature. About 63 percent gave it an “A” or “B,” 23 percent gave it a “C” and 14 percent gave it a “D” or “F.”
*Also read:* Louis CK on ‘SNL': ‘Black Jeopardy,’ Obamacare Snoozer Spoof and ‘Dyke & Fats’ (Video)
The critics have been more positive (76 percent on Rotten Tomatoes) on the saga, which co-stars Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson, Ray Winstone and Anthony Hopkins.
“Noah” got a big boost from its 341 Imax locations, bringing in $6.2 million, or 14 percent of the gross.
Two kids movies battled for third place. “The Muppets Most Wanted,” back for its second week, beat out DreamWorks Animation's “Mr. Peabody & Sherman,” which is in its fourth week.
Disney's “Muppets” sequel was off just 31 percent from its opening weekend and could hit $11.7 million to raise its domestic total to $33.5 million. ”Peabody” will cross $100 million domestically some time this week, after holding strongly to bring in $9.5 million, just 19 percent down from last weekend.
Three movies that were in limited release went wide with varying degrees of success.
*Also read:* ‘Godzilla’ Roars at Warner Bros’ Big, Bad Marathon review
Fox Searchlight added 673 theaters for Wes Anderson's R-rated ensemble comedy “Grand Budapest Hotel” and it brought in $8.7 million from 977 sites to finish fifth. That's a 30 percent gain from last week and its domestic haul is up to $24 million after a month in release.
“God's Not Dead,” Freestyle Releasing's low-budget drama targeting the faith-based crowd, brought in $8.2 million after expanding into 1 ,164 theaters for its second weekend. That's just an 11 percent drop from last week, and it's taken in more than $21 million in two weeks.
“Bad Words,” the dark, R-rated comedy about a guy crashing a kids spelling bee that was directed by and stars Jason Bateman, couldn't crack the top ten. It took in $2.7 million after Focus Features added 755 theaters in its third week.
More to come …
The post ‘Noah’ Rides Controversy to $44 Million Box-Office Triumph appeared first on TheWrap.
*Related stories from TheWrap:*
Louis CK on 'SNL': 'Black Jeopardy,' Obamacare Snoozer Spoof and 'Dyke & Fats' (Video)
'Unbroken': Universal Pins Oscar Hopes on Angelina Jolie
Hollywood to Test Discount Movie Ticket Prices for Weeknights Reported by The Wrap 1 day ago.