Your American Box Office

Two animated features remain in the Big Ten, even as comic book heroes (again) dominate with a huge gross in the #1 spot.

WEEKEND GROSSES

1). Suicide Squad (WB), 4,255 theaters / $65m Fri. (includes $20.5M previews) / 3-day cume: $146.1M/ Wk 1

2). Jason Bourne (UNI), 4,039 theaters (+13)/ $6.6M Fri. (-71%) / 3-day cume: $22M (-63%)/Total cume: $102.8M/Wk 2

3). Bad Moms (STX), 3,215 theaters (0) / $4.5M Fri. (-53%) / 3-day cume: $14.1M (-41%)/Total cume: $50.8M/ Wk 2

4). The Secret Life of Pets (ILL/UNI), 3,417 theaters (-260) / $3.3M Fri.(-41%) / 3-day cume: $10.9M (-42%) / Total cume: $318.9M/ Wk 5

5). Star Trek Beyond (PAR), 3,263 theaters (-665) / $2.6M Fri. (-61%) / 3-day cume: $9.5M (-61%) / Total cume: $127.2M/ Wk 3

6). Nine Lives (EUR), 2,264 theaters / $2.3M Fri. / 3-day cume: $6.6M / Wk 1

7). Lights Out (WB/NL), 2,581 theaters (-254) / $1.9M Fri. (-45%) / 3-day cume: $5.9M (-56%) / Total cume: $52.6M / Wk 3

8). Nerve (LGF), 2,538 theaters (0) / $1.6M Fri (-50%) / 3-day cume: $5M (-47%)/ Total cume: $27M / Wk 2

9). Ghostbusters (SONY), 2,545 theaters (-507) / $1.3M Fri. (-56%) / 3-day cume: $4.6M (-54%)/ Total cume: $116.5M / Wk 4

10.) Ice Age: Collision Course (FOX), 2,738 theaters (-1,259) / $1.2M Fri. (-64%)/ 3-day cume: $3.9M (-64%) / Total cume: $53.1M / Wk 3 ...

The Secret Life of Pets will hit the $320 million marker while Nine Lives, the other funny talking animals movie in the new release mix, will arrive still-born. (But then there's live action human beings in it, so who are we kidding?)

But the large story here is that big budget special effects movies still scream, yell and kick at the box office. Between VFX offerings and CG animated features (and they are close cousins), 50% of the movies in the Big List are of the computer generated imaging persuasion, which means there are lots of men and women sitting at computers creating the visuals in various dark rooms around the planet.