‘Hotel Transylvania 3’ Headed for No. 1 as ‘Skyscraper’ Struggles at Box Office
Dracula has taken a bit out of The Rock at this weekend’s box office, as Sony’s “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation” opened to $16.6 million from 4,267 on Friday and is estimated to take No. 1 this weekend with $41 million, nearly matching the $42 million of the first “Hotel Transylvania,” which came out in 2012.
While critics have been muted in their reviews of “HT3” (which currently has a tepid 59 percent on Rotten Tomatoes), family audiences have given it characteristically strong praise with an A- on CinemaScore. Sony has kept the budget for the film relatively low compared to their Disney/Pixar rivals with an $80 million price tag, as the film looks early on as though it will match the $150 million domestic run of its two predecessors.
Also Read: 'Hotel Transylvania 3' Film Review: Adam Sandler's Groovy Ghoulies Take a Wacky Vacation
Meanwhile, Dwayne Johnson’s latest film, “Skyscraper,” is looking very unstable with an estimated $25 million opening from 3,782 locations, putting it in third place this weekend and below the $35-40 million launch expected by independent trackers. Opening day totals clocked in at $9.2 million, as audiences gave the film a B+ on CinemaScore.
Co-produced by Universal and Legendary on a $120 million budget, “Skyscraper” will likely have to rely on better numbers from China and other Asian markets. Such was the case for Johnson’s last film, “Rampage,” which saw China grosses beat out the U.S. $161 million to $99 million. On the domestic side, this is Johnson’s lowest stateside opening since last year’s “Baywatch,” which had to a four-day $23 million opening on Memorial Day weekend.
Sitting between “Transylvania” and “Skyscraper” on the charts is “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” which is falling 62 percent in its second weekend to an estimated $28 million. While this performance is well below recent Marvel Studios releases, this estimate would still be higher than the second weekend total for the first “Ant-Man” and 25 percent ahead of the pace of that film’s domestic run.
Also Read: Dwayne Johnson's 'Skyscraper' Performance Praised by Critics as Support for 'Silly' Movie
“Incredibles 2” is in fourth with an estimated $15 million in its fifth weekend in theaters. It is one of the top 10 highest grossing films in domestic box office history, passing the North American runs for “Rogue One” and “The Dark Knight” to take the No. 9 spot on the charts. “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” sits just behind in fifth with an estimated $14.9 million.
Sitting in seventh this weekend is Annapurna’s “Sorry to Bother You,” which begins its wide run after a week in limited release. Expanding to 805 screens, the Boots Riley film is looking at a $3.9 million weekend, which would bring its total to around $5 million.
Related stories from TheWrap:
'Hotel Transylvania 3' Cruises Past Dwayne Johnson's 'Skyscraper' at Thursday Box Office
Dwayne Johnson's 'Improbable' Crane Jump in 'Skyscraper': 'We Did the Math,' Says Director
Dwayne Johnson's 'Skyscraper' Performance Praised by Critics as Support for 'Silly' Movie
