While it won’t be a blockbuster weekend at the box office, two debuts are expected to be in a close battle for the top spot. No Good Deed with Taraji P. Henson and Idris Elba opens as well as Dolphin Tale 2, the inspirational sequel with Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd. Also, Begin Again is our pick to see at Keller 8 Cinemas this week and Captain America: The Winter Soldier is among the new films at Redbox.

 

Recapping Last Weekend

Guardians of the Galaxy topped the box office last weekend by a comfortable margin. It’s $10.3 million dwarfed runner -up Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles‘ $6.5 million. Let’s Be Cops and If I Stay were basically tied for third. Cops brought in an estimated $5,568,871 while Stay brought in an estimated $5,555,244. The November Man rounded out the top fiver with $4.3 million.

As Above, So Below dropped 55.4 percent in its second weekend to under $4 million. The one movie that debuted over the weekend, The Identical, finished in 11th place with just shy of $1.6 million in receipts. Sin City: A Dame to Kill For is firmly on track for a dismal theater run as it dropped 68.9 percent in its third weekend to under $1 million for the weekend. At $13 million through 3 weeks of release, the sequel is very, very likely to not even make $29 million during its theater run, which is what the original opened with in 2005.

 

Opening This Weekend

 

Dolphin Tale 2

Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd are back in this sequel to 2011’s Dolphin Tale. The original tale of saving Winter’s life opened to $19 million in 2011 on the way to $72 million at the box office on a budget of $37 million. This sequel focuses on the band getting back together to find Winter a companion after her surrogate mother passes away. If the team can’t accomplish the task, Winter will have to leave Clearwater Marine Hospital. The movie is based in part on the passing of Panama, Winter’s “adopted mother” at Clearwater and her first tankmate. If you saw the original or know the story, Winter was rescued from Mosquiot Lagoon when she was just three months old. She had been trapped in a crab trap line and lost her tail because of it. She has lived with a prosthetic tail ever since.

Officials at Clearwater Marine Hospital are hoping this sequel helps them raise money towards a planned $68 million new facility. The original film inspired millions across the globe, including a young girl from Sweden who flew in to meet Winter as her “last wish” during filming of the sequel. Screen Rant predicts Dolphin Tale 2 will top No Good Deed in a close race for the box office title this weekend.

 

No Good Deed

Idris Elba has had popular roles in The Wire and Luther on the small screen as well as in films like American Gangster, Thor and Pacific Rim. He plays Colin, a “dangerous escaped convict” who terrorizes Terri, played by Taraji P. Henson. Henson played Joss Carter on Person of Interest from 2011-13 and also had roles in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Karate Kid and Date Night. Studio executives canceled the usual pre-release press screenings on short notice. Scott Mendelson with Forbes doesn’t seem to think the cancellation had anything to do with the “plot twist” the studio said. ShowBuzzDaily is predicting a $16 million opening weekend for this one. The film has focused early marketing efforts on Twitter and Instagram.

No Good Deed is playing this weekend at MX Movies in downtown St. Louis.

Catch It Before It’s Gone

Keller 8 Cinema welcomes Planes: Fire & Rescue as well as Begin Again this weekend.  The animated Planes sequel has made $58 million domestically in just under eight weeks at the box office. Begin Again, from the Weinstein Company, has been out a little longer, but you are less likely to have see it yet. The film has only brought in $16 million domestically and $20 million overseas in its 11 weeks of release. It stars Keira Knightley, Marka Ruffalo, Mos Def and Adam Levine. It has scored really well on Rotten Tomatoes with critics and movie-goers alike.

Make It A Redbox Night

Redbox welcomes Captain America: The Winter Soldier, A Haunted House 2, Words and Pictures and Palo Alto this week. The Winter Solider and Words and Pictures were the only two of the bunch of receive above-average ratings on Redbox. A comment left on Palo Alto warns that James Franco only plays a very brief role in the film if you are tempted to rent it just for that.

 

Coming Soon

 

The Boy Next Door

Jennifer Lopez, Ryan Guzman and Kristin Chenoweth star in this film about a forbidden affair gone very wrong that opens in January next year.  The trailer does not show Ryan Guzman showing any of his sweet dance moves from his Step Up days.

Maps To The Stars

Julianna Moore and Robert Pattinson star in Maps To The Stars, which recently debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film has already been released in several countries, but will be released the the U.S. later this month.

The Equalizer

Out September 26 starring Denzel Washington

 

Miss Meadows

Starring Katie Holmes

 

Fury

Starring Brad Pitt.

Brought to you by Mills Properties.