Box Office: 'Home' Evicts 'Get Hard' With $54M Debut
by Pamela McClintock
Animated family film Home easily topped the North American box office in its debut with $54 million from 3,708 theaters in a much-needed win for Jeffrey Katzenberg’s DreamWorks Animation.
The strong performances of Home and Warner Bros.’ R-rated comedy Get Hard, coming in No. 2 with a pleasing $34.6 million debut from 3,175 locations, helped to drive revenue nearly 10 percent over a year ago. Get Hard marks the largest R-rated opening for stars Will Ferrell andKevin Hart.
Related: Kids’ Choice Awards 2015: The Complete Winner’s List
Heading into the weekend, both films were tipped to earn in the mid-$30 million range but Home, about a teenager on the run (Rihanna) who teams up with a misfit alien (Jim Parsons). The 3D title the best opening for a DWA title since Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted ($60.3 million) in summer 2012, and the second-best showing ever for an original title after Monsters vs. Aliens ($59.3 million) in 2009, not accounting for inflation.
While many critics were hard on Home, audiences gave the music-infused film an A CinemaScore, guaranteeing good word of mouth. Home's voice cast includes Rihanna in her first turn in an animated film, Jennifer Lopez and Steve Martin.
Related: ‘Home’: Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, Jim Parsons Dazzle at Los Angeles Premiere
Home, distributed and marketed by Fox per its deal with DWA, cost $130 million.
That’s more than triple Get Hard's $40 million budget.
Get Hard, earning a B CinemaScore, marks the feature directorial debut of Etan Cohen, and stars Ferrell as a wealthy businessman who thinks he’s going to jail for tax evasion, so he hires a car washer to teach him how to survive being in prison for 10 years. Alison Brie, Edwina Findley and Craig T. Nelson also star.
Related: Kevin Hart on ‘Get Hard’ Stereotypes: “It’s About Making Fun of Ourselves”
The weekend’s other new nationwide player, It Follows, earned $4 million from only 1,218 locations to place a strong No. 5.
Watch an interview with ‘Home’ star Jennifer Lopez below:
