The only thing newsworthy about the top of Friday’s box office chart is the extent to which “American Sniper” held up. After breaking multiple records last weekend, the Oscar nominee earned an impressive $18.3 million to remain a dominant #1 this Friday.
That represents a decline of only 40% from last Friday’s record-setting $30.3 million gross.
The day’s big news story, instead, comes in the bottom third of the top ten. That is where Johnny Depp’s “Mortdecai” lands.
An undeniable flop, “Mortdecai” ranked as Friday’s #8 film on the strength of only $1.5 million in receipts. Its performance follows last weekend’s “Blackhat” bow as the second consecutive high-profile box office bust.
“The Boy Next Door,” the weekend’s other big release, opened at #2 Friday. It earned $5.7 million.
“The Wedding Ringer” ($3.3 million), “Paddington” ($2.6 million) and “Taken 3” ($2.1 million) finished out the top five.
