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<\/a><\/p>\nAn inexpensive horror flick succeeded where pricier movies have failed this week.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t Breathe<\/b><\/i>, a low-budget thriller about a blind army veteran who terrorizes three burglars after they break into his house, led the box office with an estimated $26.1 million between Thursday and Sunday nights<\/a>, which is more than double the $11-12 million that the studio had predicted<\/a> the film would earn this weekend.<\/p>\n This is the opposite of what happened to Ben-Hur<\/i> last week. The studio behind that<\/i> film said it would open to $20 million, but it stalled<\/a> at $11.2 million instead.<\/p>\n Interestingly, Don\u2019t Breathe<\/i> is the second surprise hit Sony has distributed this month that links rejection of God (or \u201cthe gods\u201d) to sexual boundary-crossing. But where Sausage Party<\/i> resolves all of its tensions with a utopian orgy, Don\u2019t Breathe<\/i> puts a more sinister spin on what a man can do when he \u201crealizes\u201d God doesn\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n The week\u2019s other new wide release was the action sequel Mechanic: Resurrection<\/b><\/i>, which earned an estimated $7.5 million and ranked fifth for the weekend. That\u2019s one of the lower openings for a film starring Jason Statham<\/a> in wide release.<\/p>\n Ben-Hur<\/b><\/i>, for its part, fell to tenth place this week, grossing only $4.5 million for the weekend. That\u2019s a drop of 59.6% from the film\u2019s first week, which is similar to the second-week drops for Son of God<\/i> (59.5%), Noah<\/i> (61%) and Exodus: Gods and Kings<\/i> (66.4%). It is also quite a bit steeper than the second-week drops for Risen<\/i> (42.3%), The Passion of the Christ<\/i> (36.5%) and The Nativity Story<\/i> (27.2%).<\/p>\n Ben-Hur<\/i> has earned $19.6 million in its first ten days in North America, and another $21.8 million overseas, where it will be rolling out over the next few weeks.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, in other box-office news\u2026<\/p>\n Suicide Squad<\/b><\/i> earned $12.1 million and ranked second in its fourth week, thereby raising its domestic cume to $282.9 million. The film has earned another $353.1 million overseas for a global total of $636 million.<\/p>\n Kubo and the Two Strings<\/b><\/i> earned $7.9 million and ranked third in its second week, thereby raising its domestic cume to $24.9 million. The film has earned another $2.7 million overseas for a global total of $27.6 million.<\/p>\n Sausage Party<\/b><\/i> earned $7.7 million and ranked fourth in its third week, thereby raising its domestic cume to $80 million. The film has earned another $8.7 million overseas for a global total of $88.7 million.<\/p>\n Pete\u2019s Dragon<\/b><\/i> earned $7.28 million and ranked sixth in its third week, thereby raising its domestic cume to $54.7 million. The film has earned another $21.5 million overseas for a global total of $76.2 million.<\/p>\n War Dogs<\/b><\/i> earned $7.26 million and ranked seventh in its second week, thereby raising its domestic cume to $27.8 million. The film has earned another $14.9 million overseas for a global total of $42.7 million.<\/p>\n Bad Moms<\/b><\/i> earned $5.8 million and ranked eighth in its fifth week, thereby raising its domestic cume to $95.5 million. The film has earned another $28.7 million overseas for a global total of $124.2 million.<\/p>\n And Jason Bourne<\/b><\/i> earned $5.2 million and ranked ninth in its fifth week, thereby raising its domestic cume to $149.4 million. The film has earned another $198.5 million overseas for a global total of $347.9 million.<\/p>\n