WEEKEND BOX OFFICE (08.04.14) – “Guardians of the Galaxy” Fly Into the Record Books

It should come as no surprise that “Guardians of the Galaxy” took home the top spot this weekend at the box office. What may be surprising to some, though not those that came out in droves to the theaters, is that “Guardians” also came out of the weekend with the record for biggest August opening weekend of all time, raking in $94 million domestically. Turns out people like a healthy dose of comedy with their hero/action flicks. Holding strong in second place this week, “Lucy” brought in $18 million in its sophomore weekend. Also premiering this weekend was the James Brown biopic “Get On Up,” which earned a respectable $14 million. “Hercules” dropped from second to fourth place in its second weekend, barely beating out “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” in its fourth.

Next weekend’s big draw will be “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” but I’d be willing to be that after all the buzz surrounding “Guardians” this past weekend, “Turtles” won’t be premiering at #1. For those of us still missing the hype of “Sharknado,” Warner Bros. is bringing “Into the Storm” – not flying sharks, exactly, but a killer storm will have to suffice. And for the moms out there, “The Hundred-Foot Journey” starring Helen Mirren should be right up your alley.