Paramount’s gritty, action-packed update on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles got off to a whizz-bang start this morning, with fans of all ages helping the martial-arts masters to one of the biggest August openings ever at an estimated $65 million, according to Box Office Mojo. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy meanwhile held on for a solid second weekend, coming in at No. 2 with $41.5 million — a 56 percent drop. Movie goers were slightly more tempted by CG creatures than digital weather effects, with tornado flick Into the Storm coming in third ($18m).
The sole animated contender, DisneyToon’s Planes: Fire & Rescue, dropped to tenth place on the box office chart, earning $2.4m for an updated total of $52.9m domestic, $37.5 foreign.
In foreign theaters, Guardians added $40.1m to its pot, thanks in part to a No. 1 opening in Australia — the space adventure will arrive in France and Spain next weekend. Turtles took in an additional $28.7m thanks to worldwide brand awareness. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes picked up $29.5m, and Transformers: Age of Extinction totted up $9.1m for an overseas total of $789.3m.
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