Old Guys Are Beating the Smurfs at the Box Office
by EG
Zach Braff’s Going in Style earned $600,000 Thursday evening to top other newcomer Smurfs: The Lost Village, the third installment in Sony's animated franchise, which took in $375,000 in previews.
Smurfs: The Lost Village is tracking to debut in the $15 million to $16 million range, according to projections.
The Smurfs 2, which opened in August 2013, debuted to $17.5 million. (It earned $347.5 million worldwide by the end of its run.) The original film, The Smurfs, earned a huge $35.6 million in its domestic debut in 2011 and had a final worldwide tally of $563.7 million.
The new film centers on a mysterious map that sets Smurfette (Demi Lovato ) and her friends Brainy, Clumsy and Hefty on a race through the Forbidden Forest leading to the discovery of the biggest secret in Smurf history. Rainn Wilson, Joe Manganiello and Jack McBrayer are among the voice cast.
Kelly Asbury (Gnomeo and Juliet) directed Smurfs: The Lost Village.
Braff’s Going in Style also opens wide this weekend along with faith-based film The Case for Christ. However, all three newcomers will debut behind a pair of powerhouse holdovers: The Boss Baby and Beauty And The Beast, both of which could earn in the high $20 million range.
Read the rest of this article at The Hollywood Reporter.