Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials Wins Box Office

Fox’s Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials won the weekend box office with $30.3 million US cume.

However, the sequel to 2014’s The Maze Runner made slightly less than the original’s $33 million debut. The Scorch Trials was made on a $61 million production budget, and it looks like the film will be set to make it’s money back and continue its YA series.

Coming in 2nd is Black Mass, the Whitey Bulger biopic, earning $23.36 million against a $53 million production budget. The film is a crime drama about the terror Boston native and gangster Whitey Bulger, as he freely murdered, extorted, and trafficked drugs while aligned with the FBI to take out his enemies.

Night Shyamalan’s The Visit came in third, with a $11.35 million domestic cume. The film was made with a $5 million production budget and has earned an estimated $42.3 million. It is another hit for Universal this year.

Here are the box office estimates this past weekend, featuring US domestic totals, unless otherwise notified. Thanks Box Office Mojo!

1. Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials – $30.3 million
2. Black Mass – $23.6 million
3. The Visit – $11.35 million
4. The Perfect Guy – $9.64 million
5. Everest – $7.56 million
6. War Room – $6.25 million
7. A Walk in the Woods – $2.372 million
8. Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation – $2.250 million
9. Straight Outta Compton – $1.9 million
10. Grandma – $1.59 million

This weekend, Ant-Man crossed the $400 million worldwide mark, with 44.2% of that coming from United States theaters. A direct sequel may not be out of the question, as the box office totals show there is interest in the Marvel’s tiniest hero, even if this interest is abroad.

Everest, which looked to have some potential Oscar buzz, only debuted with a $7.56 million domestic total, against a $55 million production budget. The film may look good enough to receive technical nominations, but it may not be big enough for any nominations in bigger categories.

Finally, the totals and reviews for films such as Straight Outta Compton and Black Mass, and films released earlier in the year such as American Sniper, are a good sign for biopics going forward. Studios may begin to realize that biopics do not have to be conventional in order to just make their money back. They may provide more producers and directors with more freedom to creatively differentiate their biopic film.

Are any of these totals a surprise to you? Let us know in the comments below!