Box Office: 'No Good Deed' Easily Beats 'Dolphin Tale 2' With $24.5M

Idris Elba and Taraji P. Henson’s new thriller No Good Deed sprinted past family offering Dolphin Tale 2 to win the North American box office race with $24.5 million from 2,175 theaters, marking another win for producer Will Packer and Screen Gems.
Dolphin Tale 2, from Alcon Entertainment and Warner Bros., came in on the low end of expectations, grossing $16.6 million for a second-place finish. It wasn’t able to match the $19.2 million opening ofDolphin Tale in September 2011, never welcome news for a sequel.Dolphin Tale 2, however, did earn an A CinemaScore so could have staying power.
The other big headline was Marvel Studios’ and Disney’s Guardians of the Galaxy, which has become the first film of 2014 to cross the $300 million mark domestically. Globally, the tentpole has crossed $600 million to finish Sunday with a total $611.5 million.
And the late James Gandolfini’s final film, The Drop, placed a strong No. 6 with $4.2 million from only 809 theaters.
Heading into the weekend, tracking services were divided as to No Good Deed's potential, although more bullish observers had it clearing $20 million. The movie benefited from being the only new title in the market targeting black audiences and cost a modest $13 million to make (that doesn't include marketing costs). No Good Deed earned a B+ CinemaScore.
Still, the slide at the North American box office continued. Revenue was once again down from a year ago,  when Insidious: Chapter 2topped the chart with $40.3 million. Last weekend, revenue topped out at $64.7 million, the worst showing since just after 9/11, while year-to-date revenue is down 5.6 percent.
Packer, the force behind the Think Like a Man series, Ride Along andObsessed, produced No Good Deed along with Lee Clay. Elba also starred in Screen Gems’ Obsessed, which debuted to $28.8 million, while Henson is a lead in Screen Gems’ Think Like a Man franchise.
Directed by Sam Miller (Luther), No Good Deed stars Henson as a district attorney turned stay-at-home mom living an ideal life in the suburbs until a charming convict (Elba) shows up at her door. Kate del Castillo and Henry Simmons costar.
Dolphin Tale cost roughly $36 million to produce. Both the original and the sequel center around Winter, the real-life dolphin rescued by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida, and her two young human friends, played by Nathan Gamble and Cozi Zuehlsdorff (the actual Winter stars in both films).
This time out, the trio befriend a baby dolphin, Hope. The film also tells the story of Mandy, a rehabilitated dolphin released back into the wild. Charles Martin Smith returned to direct Dolphin Tale 2, reuniting with stars Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd, Morgan Freeman and Kris Kristofferson. Newcomers include Lee Karlinsky, Julia Jordan and surfer Bethany Hamilton, playing herself.

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