‘Don’t Breathe’ breathes life into slow end to summer box office

Breathing life into what was expected to be a slow end to the summer box office season, Sony Pictures’ “Don’t Breathe” over-performed, leaving three-time box office champ, Warner Bros.’ “Suicide Squad,” in the dust.

The low-budget horror movie raked in a surprising estimated $26.1 million in the U.S. and Canada, well surpassing analyst projections of $12 million to $14 million.

“‘Don’t Breathe’ is a film that, I have to admit, from Day One, we knew we had something special,” said Rory Bruer, the studio’s distribution chief. “It was one of those things where the trajectory ended up being far beyond what we could’ve imagined, a stunning result.”

The violent thriller about a group of friends whose home invasion plot goes horribly wrong stars Stephen Lang, Jane Levy and Dylan Minnette among others. The $9.8-million flick is the latest financial success for Uruguay-born writer-director Fede Alvarez, best known for 2013’s “Evil Dead” remake. Alvarez has been in high demand in Hollywood since he was discovered through a short film uploaded to YouTube in 2009.

“Don’t Breathe” benefited from one of the biggest, most aggressive digital marketing campaigns in Sony’s history, following recently successful digital-skewing campaigns for “Sausage Party” and “The Shallows.”

Audiences and movie critics appear pleased. Moviegoers gave the picture an overall B-plus CinemaScore (A-minus from the under 35 crowd) while 87% of Rotten Tomatoes critics rated the film positively.

“Don’t Breathe” is the latest in well-reviewed horror fare, a genre that has had a vibrant summer at the box office, including hits like “Lights Out” and “The Conjuring 2” from New Line Cinema, and “The Purge: Election Year” from Universal Pictures.

“Suicide Squad” dropped to second place with $12.1 million in its fourth week, still meeting analyst expectations, which were at $12 million this week. The DC antihero mashup, after receiving relatively poor reviews, has taken in $282.9 million domestically. Internationally, the picture has brought in an estimated $353.1 million.

Landing in third was “Kubo and the Two Strings,” from LAIKA and Focus Features, with $7.9 million. In its second week, the animated film has grossed $24.9 million domestically to date.

Sony’s “Sausage Party” continues to be a big money maker, landing in fourth in its third week, with an estimated $7.7 million. The $19-million film has already made back more than four times its price with a domestic gross to date of $80 million.

The only other major release this week, Lionsgate’s “Mechanic: Resurrection,” took the fifth spot with an estimated $7.5 million in ticket sales. Though only meeting analyst expectations of $6 million to $8 million, the film will prove to be a major success for the studio when factoring in projections on the home entertainment front and its UK release.

“Mechanic: Resurrection” is the sequel in a Jason Statham franchise. The first, “The Mechanic,” about an elite hitman, opened to $11 million when it was released by CBS Films in 2011. It eventually grossed $62 million worldwide.

In the new film, Statham, known for action roles in the “Fast & Furious” and “Crank” franchises, is joined by costars Jessica Alba and Tommy Lee Jones.

“Mechanic: Resurrection” has audiences and critics at odds. While moviegoers gave the picture a B-plus CinemaScore, only 24% of Rotten Tomatoes critics favored it.

On the limited-release front, this weekend was “Hands of Stone,” from Weinstein Co. The boxing drama pulled in an estimated $1.7 million from a mid-level release of about 800 theaters, coming in well below analyst projections of less than $6 million.

The film tells the story of Panamanian fighter Roberto Duran (Edgar Ramirez), who became a world champion with the help of legendary coach Ray Arcel (De Niro). R&B singer Usher plays legendary boxer Sugar Ray Leonard.

“Hands of Stone” was originally planned for a wider push, but the company decided to scale back its release plans, a reflection of the data they had collected at the time, said David Glasser, the studio’s president and chief operating officer.

“By going on 800 screens early, [audiences] start to realize who [the film’s characters] are,” he said. “It was about having the audience find it.”

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The audience thus far has been 60% male and 50% Latino. And while only 46% of Rotten Tomatoes critics favored the flick, moviegoers gave it an A CinemaScore, with the under-35 crowd giving it an A-plus, according to the studio.

Glasser projects strong word of mouth will see the film’s performance increase next week when it expands to 2,000 theaters.

Another notable debut in limited release is Roadside Attraction’s Barack and Michelle Obama love story “Southside With You.” It took in about $3 million from around 800 locations.

The film starring Parker Sawyers and Tika Sumpter as the First Couple before the White House is a hit with critics, with 93% of Rotten Tomatoes critics favoring the picture.

Up next for premieres on Labor Day weekend is Disney’s “The Light Between Oceans” and a host of small releases.

Follow me on Twitter: @TrevellAnderson.

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