'2 Guns' Leads Bland Friday Grosses; Sony's 'Smurfs 2' Opens in Third, Bigger Overseas

Wahlberg and Washington in '2 Guns'

It's August. Universal is heading for its third number one opener of the summer as the Denzel Washington/Mark Wahlberg crime actioner "2 Guns" grossed $10 million Friday. That's the lowest number for a top film for a Friday since the pre-summer April 26 first day of "Pain and Gain," but is typical of an August opening. Overall grosses for the top 10 were slightly above the same week a year ago.

Weakening the result is the disappointing domestic take for Sony's "Smurfs 2," $5.5 million yesterday after a Wednesday opening, bringing the three-day total so far of $15 million. The first "Smurfs" movie two years ago grossed $35 million for its initial weekend, above what the sequel will bring in for its first five days. In a summer crammed with family-oriented animated films, this suggests that too much of a good thing is taking its toll--DreamWorks Animation's "Turbo" also came in under expectations. Meantime, Sony is reporting that international openings ("Smurfs" did 75% of its $563 million total in foreign markets) are mostly ahead of the first film, so it seems likely to be modestly profitable for the studio, which has struggled this summer.

Number two at $6.5 Fox's "The Wolverine," which will be down around 60% for its second weekend from its less than expected initial $53 million take. At #4, now just under $100 million, is Warner Bros.' surprise hit "The Conjuring" at $4.3 million. Rounding out the top 5 is Universal's "Despicable Me 2" with another $3.1 million as it heads to a possible $800 million+ worldwide total. It could wind up the most profitable movie in the studio's history.

The rest of the top 10 grossed under $2.5 million down to just over $1.25 million, with holdovers "Grown Ups 2," "Turbo," "Red 2," "The Heat" and "Pacific Rim" adding enough business to bring the total a bit up from last year.

Although A24 has reported no Friday numbers, reports from the four New York/Los Angeles theaters playing their acclaimed Sundance competitor "The Spectacular Now" indicate heavy business and many sellouts, suggesting another late summer specialized hit on the heels of "The Way, Way Back," "Fruitvale Station" and "Blue Jasmine."

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