'Mission' Isn't 'Rogue', Audiences Take 'Vacation' from Theaters

     The fifth entry of the popular 'Mission: Impossible' exceeded expectations this weekend, taking the top spot from two-time winner 'Ant-Man'. The $150-million Tom Cruise led action flick opened way ahead of fellow newcomer 'Vacation', which failed to break out from the crowded field of R-rated comedies this summer.

     'Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation' took in a healthy $55.5 million for the three-day weekend, which significantly outpaced its scaled-back projections (some were going as far back as $40m). That's the second best opening in the spy franchise, barely behind the $57.8 million debut of 'Mission: Impossible II', and the third best for Tom Cruise in a lead role (trailing 'Mission: Impossible II' and 'War of the Worlds' ($64.9m)). Goodwill from the previous installment 'Ghost Protocol' was likely carried to this one, and moviegoers who were on the fence about this were probably persuaded by strong reviews (a stellar 93% on Rotten Tomatoes). Although Cruise has taken a hit in recent years
(big-budget action flops like 'Oblivion' and 'Edge of Tomorrow'), he was soon back on top. With strong word-of-mouth ('A-' on CinemaScore), 'Rogue Nation' will have to hold up well against upcoming action films like Fox's 'Fantastic Four' and Warner Bros.' 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'. Still, look for the film to earn around $160 million total.
     The weekend's other new wide release, Warner Bros.' road trip comedy 'Vacation', underwhelmed greatly, with a three-day take of just $14.7 million and a mediocre five-day start of $21 million. The Ed Helms led R-rated pic was crushed by negative reviews (24% on RT) and mixed word-of-mouth ('B' on CinemaScore), although the film performed rather back-loaded (Friday-to-weekend ratio of 3.27-to-1). That could be a good sign going forward, although word-of-mouth isn't all that great. The budget was kept under control, costing just $31 million, and if it does hold up well in the following weeks a total cume of over $60 million is likely.
     In holdover news, 'Ant-Man' fell two spots and placed in third with $12.8 million, dropping 48.6% from last weekend's take. The Paul Rudd led superhero film has been performing mostly on the low end of expectations, although its solid $132.2 million gross is nothing to be ashamed of. It is currently on track to end its run in the range of $155-170 million.
     'Minions' fell a respectable 46% from last weekend, earning $12.4 million, placing in a close fourth. The animated blockbuster has so far made a spectacular $287.6 million, and is on pace to close with $335 million.

     Last weekend's 'Pixels' plummeted 56.3% from its debut, making just $10.5 million. So far, horrible reviews (18% on RT) and mixed word-of-mouth ('B' on CinemaScore) have been working against the $88-million Adam Sandler led flick, and reaching a total north of $65 million is a lock at this point. Sony has been having a decent year, with its highest-grossing 2015 release being 'Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2' with a $71 million gross.
     Judd Apatow's 'Trainwreck' slipped 44.4%, going on to add $9.6 million to its solid 17-day take of $79.6 million. The R-rated comedy should earn well over $110 million by the end of its run.
     'Southpaw' fell 54.4%, making $7.6 million. That is an unremarkable hold, and actually quite a disappointing one considering that it opened to a strong $16.7 million last weekend. However, with $31.7 million in the bank already, the boxing drama should total over $50 million in the long run.
     'Paper Towns' crashed 63.3% this weekend to earn $4.6 million, bringing its domestic cume to $23.9 million. Its current trajectory is pointing to a final $30 million gross, which is around 76% lower than the $124.9 million take of last year's 'The Fault in our Stars'.
     'Inside Out' eased a light 39.2%, making $4.5 million this weekend and pushing its domestic gross to $329.6 million. Look for a final gross of around $345 million.
     None other than 'Jurassic World' filled out the Top 10, biting off $3.9 million (-45.7%). So far, the $150-million Chris Pratt led dino flick from Universal (which is having a great year) has earned a whopping $631.6 million, and will close with around $650 million total.
     The Ian McKellen led 'Mr. Holmes' brought in $2.4 million this weekend, down a slim 14.5% from last weekend. With a cume of over $10.3 million, the family-friendly mystery film will probably fall short of $20 million.
     July misfire 'Terminator Genysis' fell a large 61% this weekend, earning $0.943 million. The $155 million Arnold Schwarzenegger led franchise reboot from Paramount (which also released 'Rogue Nation' this weekend) has so far brought in a meager $87.7 million gross, and should end its run with about $93 million.
     This weekend's Top 12 gross ($136.2m) was down 21% from last year ($172.4m), which was led by the stunning, significantly stronger-than-expected $94.3 million debut of 'Guardians of the Galaxy'. Look for another decline from last year when 'Fantastic Four', 'The Gift', 'Shaun the Sheep', and 'Ricki and the Flash' debut next weekend.