Box Office Preview: ‘Sex Tape’ & ‘The Purge’ Off to Strong Start

Both Sex Tape and The Purge: Anarchy are off to a strong start at the box office, with the comedy romp earning $1.1 million and the horror thriller earning $2.6 million on Thursday.

Another opening is the family-friendly animated feature Planes: Fire and Rescue from Disney, which took in $450,000 after its Thursday showings that started at 7 pm. Last year’s opening for Planes started off roughly the same, and ended up totaling with a decent $22.2 million after it’s three-day weekend opening. It is expected that the sequel Fire and Rescue will do the same, with a prediction of a mid-$20 million opening.

Universal’s The Purge: Anarchy is expected to have a strong performance this weekend, but not likely to overcome last weekends winner Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. The first installment bowed last year to $3.4 million on late nights starting at 10 pm, and grossed over $34 million during its opening weekend. Analysts predict that the sequel should earn up to $30 million this weekend as it expands from 2,194 theaters to 3,303 locations. James DeMonaco returned to write and direct the horror picture. The R-rated sequel, starring Frank Grillo, is set in a society where all crime is legal for 12 hours.

Sony’s R-rated film Sex Tape was shown in 2,457 theaters at 7 pm. It reunites Bad Teacher co-stars Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel as a married couple who wake up to discover that their most private video has been seen by the world. In comparison to Fox’s The Other Woman, the comedy film grossed $550,000 and then went on to gross $23 million for the weekend, while The Heat earned $1 million and had a $39 million weekend. Sex Tape cost around $43 million to produce, and is on currently on track to earn about $26 million this weekend.

According to Rotten Tomatoes, the films won’t be receiving very many positive reviews from critics. Currently, The Purge: Anarchy holds a 56 percent “rotten” rating, Planes: Fire & Rescue holds a 46 percent “rotten” ranking, and Sex Tape holds a dismal 19 percent “rotten” grade.

Which movie are you planning to see this weekend?