‘Elysium’ Tops Weekend Box Office

 Matt Damon in a scene from “Elysium.”

Neill Blomkamp’s “Elysium” was No. 1 at North American theaters, but ticket sales nonetheless fell well short of expectations. An R-rated science-fiction tale about haves and have-nots, “Elysium” (Sony Pictures Entertainment) took in an estimated $30.5 million over the weekend. That’s a solid total, but the studio, which has had a rough summer at the box office, had hoped that the film would deliver opening-weekend ticket sales of $35 million to $40 million.
“Elysium,” co-produced by Sony and Media Rights Capital and starring Matt Damon and Jodie Foster, cost about $110 million to make. To compare, Mr. Blomkamp’s “District 9” cost $30 million to make and took in $37.4 million over its first three days in August 2009; it ultimately took in $210.8 million worldwide.
For the weekend, “We’re the Millers” (Warner Brothers) was a strong second, selling $26.6 million in tickets, for a total since opening on Wednesday of $38 million, according to Hollywood.com, which compiles box-office data. “We’re the Millers,” an R-rated comedy, cost about $37 million to make. In third place with $22.5 million in ticket sales was Disney’s “Planes,” a movie that cost about $50 million to make and was initially planned as a direct-to-DVD release. “Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters” (20th Century Fox) was a soft fourth, taking in about $14.6 million, for a total of $23.5 million since opening on Wednesday; this fantasy sequel cost about $90 million to make. To compare, “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” took in $31.2 million over its first three days in February 2010. The holdover “2 Guns” (Universal) was fifth, with about $11.1 million in sales, for a two-week total of $48.5 million.