Just as analysts predicted, Transformers: Age of Extinction beat Melissa McCarthy’s comedy Tammy this Fourth of July weekend with another $36.4 million from 4,233 locations, for a domestic total of $174.7 million. Michael Bay’s autobot-filled blockbuster became the first summer movie to hold on to the No. 1 spot at the box office.
Coming in second place is Tammy, which did less than expected, as analysts estimated the R-rated road trip comedy would earn at least $40 million. Instead, it grossed $21.2 million over the weekend, for a total of $32.9 million since its Wednesday release. The comedy settled behind the $39 million debut of The Heat (co-stared with Sandra Bullock), and the $34.6 million debut of McCarthy’s Identity Thief.
These low numbers contributed to the weakest Independence Day box office results in at least a decade. This holiday weekend dropped 43.4% from last year’s numbers, bringing in approximately $130 million from its previous $230 million.
“We always think of Fourth of July being a big weekend. This year, we just have to lick our wounds and look forward to ‘Planet of the Apes’ and some other films to get us back on track,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for box-office tracker Rentrak.
The film, which was produced by the comedienne and her husband Ben Falcone, received a C plus CinemaScore from audiences, as well as very poor reviews from critics (23 percent on Rotten Tomatoes).
Warner Bros. distribution chief Dan Fellman reassured that, while the numbers seem low, Tammy is off to a decent start with a “strong number two,” and predicted that the movie will ultimately end up between $80 million and $100 million.
“We’re really happy with Tammy. This was a $20-million production and it was homegrown by Melissa and her husband Ben,” said Dan Fellman, the studio’s president of domestic distribution. “It’s a nice start for us. We’re in good shape and there’s a lot of summer left.”
This week’s horror movie Deliver Us From Evil from Screen Gems earned $15 million across 3,049 locations, landing in third place. Relativity’s Earth to Echo grossed $13.5 million over its first five days, placing in sixth behind How to Train Your Dragon 2. In fifth is Sony’s cop comedy 22 Jump Street, which took in an estimated $9.4 million, for a domestic total to date of $158.8 million.
See what films made the top 10 list at the box office this weekend by clicking “Next”!
