Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s San Andreas debuted with a solid $53.2 million at 3,777 theaters in North America, soaring past the $40 million analysts previously forecasted.
“It took a natural disaster to create a career highlight for Dwayne Johnson,” says Fandango chief correspondent Dave Karger. “He’s now scored his biggest opening weekend as a solo star.”
Directed by Brad Peyton, San Andreas follows the story of a rescue-chopper pilot (Johnson) who makes a dangerous journey across the state, following a massive earthquake, to rescue his daughter (Alexandra Daddario). Audience members, who were 51 percent female and 70 percent over the age of 25, gave the film an impressive A minus CinemaScore, while critics gave it a meager 48 percent “fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes.
“Johnson is clearly one of the most bankable stars working today,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Rentrak. “Johnson’s versatility, charisma, humor and his imposing physical presence on the big screen has made him the go-to guy for filmmakers looking to ratchet up the excitement level and drawing power of their films.”
Meanwhile, the weekend’s other new release was Sony’s Aloha, landing in sixth place on the charts with $10 million in over 2,815 theaters. The film, starring Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone and Rachel McAdams, earned a B plus CinemaScore from moviegoers who were 64 percent female and 57 percent over the age of 30. Critics, on the other hand, gave the action comedy a dismal 18 percent “fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes.
“The movie had a great cast on paper. But the critics tore it apart and it had a tough weekend,” said Dergarabedian. “Aloha just didn’t resonate with the general audience.”
Leading the pack in second place is Universal’s Pitch Perfect 2 with $14.8 million at 3,660 locations. The Elizabeth Banks-directed comedy sequel, costing $29 million to produce, has so far accumulated $147.5 million since its release. Following the acapella in third place is Disney’s Tomorrowland, directed by Brad Bird and starring George Clooney, with an additional $13.8 million for a $63.2 million total.
In fourth place and fifth place at the box office is Warner Bros.’ Mad Max: Fury Road and Disney/Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, taking in an additional $13.6 million and $10.9 million, respectively. The Tom Hardy-Charlize Theron tentpole has totaled $115.9 million thus far, while the latter has hit $427.1 million domestically.
Top 10 Films at Weekend Box Office: May 29-31
- San Andreas — $53.2 million
- Pitch Perfect 2 — $14.8 million
- Tomorrowland — $13.8 million
- Mad Max: Fury Road — $13.6 million
- Avengers: Age of Ultron — $10.9 million
- Aloha — $10.0 million
- Poltergeist — $7.8 million
- Far From The Madding Crowd — $1.4 million
- Hot Pursuit – $1.4 million
- Home — $1.2 million
