Box Office Recap: ‘No Good Deed’ Beats ‘Dolphin Tale 2’

No Good Deed, starring Idris Elba and Taraji P. Henson, came in No. 1 at the box office this weekend with $24.5 million from 2,175 theaters.

The Sony/Screen Gems thriller, which cost merely $13 million to produce, beat all expectations from analysts, who previously estimated that the film would debut around $20 million. More than 60 percent of moviegoers were female, while 41 percent were under 30 years old.

“It’s not a full reversal of the weakness at the box office, but it’s a step in the right direction,” said Phil Contrino, vice president and chief analyst at BoxOffice.com. “It’s good to see new films enter the marketplace and do all right.”

The weekend’s other wide release was Dolphin Tale 2, a predecessor to the 2011 film. The Warner Bros./Alcon Entertainment sequel, which cost $36 million to produce, debuted with $16.5 million across 3,656 theaters. The earnings were much less than the $20 million analysts’ predicted for the film.

The initial Dolphin Tale debuted with $19.2 million and went on to make $72.3 million domestically. Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd, Morgan Freeman and Kris Kristofferson all return to reprise their roles in the second installment.

Females were largely present in the audience for Dolphin Tale 2 as well, making up 63 percent of total moviegoers. Over 44 percent of attendees were below the age of 25.

No Good Deed earned a B+ CinemaScore, while runner-up Dolphin Tale 2 earned a solid A CinemaScore.

The late James Gandolfini’s final film, The Drop, placed No. 6 with $4.2 million from 809 theaters. The crime drama, from Fox Searchlight and Chernin Entertainment, stars Gandolfini opposite Tom Hardy and Noomi Rapace.

Disney’s Guardians of the Galaxy  remains high on the charts, even seven weeks after its U.S. release, at No. 3 with another $8 million. It is the first film in 2014 to pass $300 million at the box office.

Paramount’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles placed No. 4, taking in another $4.8 million in its sixth week. It totals out to $181 million domestically.

Top 10 Films at Weekend Box Office: September 12-14

1. No Good Deed – $24.5 million
2. Dolphin Tale 2 – $16.6 million
3. Guardians of the Galaxy – $8 million
4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – $4.8 million
5. Let’s Be Cops – $4.3 million
6. The Drop – $4.2 million
7. If I Stay – $4.1 million
8. The November Man – $2.8 million
9. The Giver – $2.6 million
10. The Hundred-Foot Journey – $2.5 million