Ninja Turtles sequel underwhelms at the box office
Bangkok Post7 Jun 2016LINDSEY BAHR
Turtle power isn’t all that strong second time around in the US, according to comScore estimates, but not all is bleak at the box office. While many of the season’s sequels continue to struggle, the healthy debut of the romantic drama Me Before You proved that there is room for more than superheroes in the summer.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows won the box office, but its estimated US$35.3 million (1.25 billion baht) debut is not exactly cause for a celebratory pizza party. The $135 million production from Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies comes just two years after the studios rebooted the property. The 2014 movie performed surprisingly well — opening to $65.6 million and going on to gross $493.3 million worldwide — despite lacklustre reviews.
While lower in turnout, those who did show up liked this film far better than the first, according to exit polls. Out Of The Shadows doubles down on the fan elements with the introduction of a number of villains from the 80s cartoon. But it was a bit too late for some who turned out for the first. The studio noticed a drop in attendance from the “nostalgia” audience of 25 to 34-yearolds this time around.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 is just the latest in a string of underwhelming openings for sequels the US summer movie season, which runs from the first weekend in May until Labour Day (Sept 5 this year). Some of the lacklustre showings include Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, Alice Through The Looking Glass and even X-Men: Apocalypse, which fell a hefty 66% in its second weekend in cinemas, earning $22.3 million for a second-place finish.