Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson might be known as “franchise Viagra,” but not even he could stimulate “Hercules” to victory over fellow new release “Lucy.”
While his “Hercules” drew considerably better than January’s “The Legend of Hercules,” which starred Kellan Lutz and opened to $8.9 million in receipts, it still only grossed $29.0 million in its first weekend of release. Scarlett Johansson-vehicle “Lucy,” which drew reviews of a similar caliber, earned a stronger $44.0 million.
Analysts assumed “Lucy” was going to win, but they did not expect the margin of victory to be so significant.
The key to besting those expectations was “Lucy'”s strong $17.1 million Friday haul. It followed with $15.0 million on Saturday and $11.9 million on Sunday.
After two weeks at number one, “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” sank to third place this weekend with $16.4 million. “The Purge: Anarchy” followed in fourth with $9.9 million, while “Planes: Fire and Rescue” earned $9.3 million to close out the top five.
Elsewhere, new release “And So It Goes” grossed just $4.6 million from its 1,762 theaters. It ranked eighth for the week. “A Most Wanted Man” landed in tenth with $2.7 million from 361 screens.
Zach Braff’s “Wish I Was Here,” which expanded into 625 theaters, wishes moviegoers were there. It only managed $1.1 million for an eighteenth-place weekend.