Friday Report: 'The Martian' Blasts to the Top, 'Sicario' Shoots Up a Solid Expansion, and 'The Walk' Off to a Slow Start

     It should be a pretty busy weekend as Ridley Scott's 'The Martian' and Lionsgate's 'Sicario' both experienced great numbers, while the holdovers are having respectable drops. However, one of the more notable releases, 'The Walk', got off to a very slow start on Wednesday, and should continue to underwhelm going into the weekend.
     First off, the highly-anticipated adaptation of Andy Weir's best-seller 'The Martian' grossed $18 million yesterday. That is an outstanding figure, as that bests 2013's 'Gravity' ($17.5m) and last November's 'Interstellar' ($16.9m). The $108-million sci-fi pic starring Matt Damon grossed $2.5 million in Thursday night grosses, also beating 'Gravity' ($1.4 million) in that field. 'Martian' has also garnered universal acclaim from critics and audiences alike (94% on both Rotten Tomatoes and Flixter). Its CinemaScore rating is also impressive, with an 'A' rating on the website. The big question now is whether or not it will be able to overtake 'Gravity''s October opening record. That film earned $55.8 million in its debut weekend, so a figure around that number is likely.
     Last weekend's champion 'Hotel Transylvania 2' fell 43.7% from its opening day to gross $7.5 million. The $80-million Adam Sandler led animated monster comedy from Sony, which overtook the September opening record last weekend, has so far been outpacing expectations significantly, with a stellar 8-day take of $65 million. A second weekend of around $30 million is likely.
     $30-million Emily Blunt led drug cartel thriller 'Sicario' successfully expanded nationwide on Friday to $4.3 million, representing a 666.4% increase in domestic grosses. 'Sicario' has been doing very well in limited release, and nearing its nationwide expansion predictions continuously went upwards, ranging from $11.5-$14.5 million. Right in between those numbers, which would translate into $13 million, is a lock for 'Sicario'.

     In fourth place, $35-million Anne Hathaway/Robert De Niro led comedy 'The Intern' eased 42.6% from its opening to land a $3.6 million gross on Friday. 'Intern' continues to stay ahead of expectations (albeit slightly) with a $28.5 million 8-day take, and a second weekend total of around $10-$12 million should be in range.
     'Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials' rounded out the Top 5, grossing $2.1 million, showing a 49.1% decrease from last Friday. The $61-million Dylan O'Brien led dystopian action adventure from Fox has been performing below expectations and running behind the first 'Maze Runner', with $57.7 million in the bank so far, and an $8 million weekend should be likely.
     TriStar's 'The Walk' underperformed greatly with just $390k. Playing in 448 IMAX-only locations, the $35-million biographical drama/thriller started out with $240.4k on Wednesday, fell 24.3% on Thursday to earn $181.9k, and increased 114.4% to get its Friday gross. It has been performing WAY below the very recent 'Everest', which began on Friday with $2.3 million, although that film was playing in 97 more locations, and it didn't open on a Wednesday. Still, expect a limited release weekend of around just $1 million.

Weekend Forecast (Updated)

1. 'The Martian' - $54.9 million

2. 'Hotel Transylvania 2' - $30.3 million (-37.5%)

3. 'Sicario' - $13.6 million (+800%)

4. 'The Intern' - $10.9 million (-38.2%)

5. 'Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials' - $7.5 million (-47.6%)

-   'The Walk' - $1.2 million