“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” collected $10.2 million on opening day, including $3.85 million from Tuesday’s preview screenings.
Paramount and Nickelodeon’s animated adventure is getting a jump on the weekend by debuting on Wednesday. This weekend’s other new release, the Warner Bros. shark sequel “Meg 2: The Trench,” lands in theaters on Friday.
“Mutant Mayhem” is projected to pick up $35 million to $45 million over its first five days of release. Meanwhile, “Meg 2” is targeting a three-day start of $25 million to $30 million. Those films will vie for second place on box office charts alongside Christopher Nolan’s historical drama “Oppenheimer,” now in its third weekend of release.
Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” which is expected to top the box office for the third straight weekend, added a leading $12.8 million on Wednesday. The fantasy comedy, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as the stereotypical versions of Barbie and Ken, has generated $394 million in North America, making it the second-highest grossing movie of the year. It’s the third-biggest 2023 release at the global box office with $811 million.
The PG “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” adaptation cost $70 million, which is more economical than other summer blockbusters. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the creative team behind “Superbad,” wrote and produced “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” The film, featuring a sprawling voice cast of Hannibal Buress, Rose Byrne, John Cena, Jackie Chan and Ice Cube, follows the Turtle brothers, who set out to conquer the streets of New York City after spending years sheltered from the human world.
“Meg 2: The Trench” carries a $130 million production budget and will rely on the international box office to turn a profit in its theatrical run. The original 2018 shark thriller “The Meg” opened to $45 million before becoming a surprise smash to the tune of $145 million domestically and $530.5 million globally.
Ben Wheatley directed the sequel, which again stars Jason Statham and centers on a group of scientists who travel to the depths of the ocean and must fend off a 75-foot-long behemoth known as a megalodon — and other terrifying sea creatures.