UPDATE 1-Box Office: Tom Cruise's 'Mission: Impossible -- Rogue Nation' Dominates with $56 Million

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By Dave McNary
LOS ANGELES, Aug, 2 (Variety.com) - Tom Cruise's "Mission:
Impossible -- Rogue Nation" dominated the U.S. box office this
weekend with an impressive $56 million at 3,956 locations.
The Paramount/Skydance tentpole generated $20.3 million at
the Friday box office, setting an opening day mark for the
sturdy franchise - and signaling that Cruise still carries
plenty of star power. Saturday's total hit $19.7 million.
The launch of "Mission: Impossible -- Rogue Nation"
outperformed forecasts by a significant margin. It had been on
track for an opening weekend of $40 million, according to recent
studio estimates.
It's the third largest opening for Cruise, following the
$64.9 million launch for 2004's "War of the Worlds" and $57.8
million for 2000's "Mission: Impossible 2."
"Rogue Nation" also opened in about 40 percent of
international markets with $65 million, led by South Korea's $17
million.
The fifth installment in the series, written and directed by
Chris McQuarrie, finds Cruise facing off against a squad of
special agents known as the Syndicate. Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner
and Rebecca Ferguson also star.
"They have delivered a film that has such energy and
excitement," said Rob Moore, Pararmount's vice chair.
"Rogue Nation," which carries a $150 million price tag, is
one of a rare studio tentpoles that was moved forward rather
than backward. The original plan had been to open on Christmas
Day this year, but Moore noted that Cruise had asked during
filming - which started last August - could be moved up to avoid
competing directly against the next "Star Wars" movie (which
opens Dec. 18) and James Bond's "Spectre," which launches Nov.
6.
The first four "Mission: Impossible" films have grossed over
$2 billion. In 2011, "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol"
pulled in $209 million in the U.S. and $485 million
internationally.
"Rogue Nation" took in more than triple the Friday-Sunday
total of New Line's "Vacation" reboot, which pulled in $14.9
million in 3,411 locations. The comedy, which launched
Wednesday, has grossed $21.2 million in five days -- below
recent forecasts of $30 million.
Still, the R-rated "Vacation" is a low-risk entry for New
Line, given its $31 million budget. Ed Helms, Christina
Applegate, Leslie Mann and Chris Hemsworth star. It generated an
A- Cinemascore among audiences under 35.
Disney/Marvel's third weekend of "Ant-Man" led the holdovers
with $12.6 million at 3,322 sites for a $132.1 million domestic
total. Universal's fourth weekend of "Minions" followed with
$12.2 million at 3,575 locations to lift its 24-day total to
$287.3 million.
Sony's second weekend of Adam Sandler's "Pixels" showed only
moderate traction as the comedy slid 57 percent to $10.4 million
at 3,725 theaters, bringing the 10-day total to $45.6 million.
A24's "The End of the Tour," which stars Jason Segel as
David Foster Wallace and Jesse Eisenberg as the reporter tasked
with profiling the author, launched impressively with $126,459
in four locations.
The overall box office for the weekend is down significantly
compared with the same weekend a year ago when Disney/Marvel's
"Guardians of the Galaxy" opened with a stunning $94.3 million
weekend.