The summer moviegoing season blubbered its way toward an end over the weekend, as “If I Stay,” a tear-jerker starring Chloë Grace Moretz, took in an estimated $16.4 million at North American theaters. That total made “If I Stay” (Warner Bros.) the best-performing new wide-release film, but Hollywood expected ticket sales to be significantly stronger given the generosity of Warner’s marketing campaign. “If I Stay,” based on Gayle Forman’s young adult novel, cost Warner and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer about $11 million to make.
“When the Game Stands Tall” (Sony), a new religion-tinged sports drama, took in an estimated $9.1 million, in line with expectations; it cost about $15 million to make. “Frank Miller’s Sin City: A Dame to Kill For” (the Weinstein Company) completely bombed, selling about $6.5 million in tickets, according to Rentrak, which compiles box-office data, and costing a cluster of outside financiers roughly $60 million, according to the entertainment trade news site Deadline.com. The first “Sin City” film was a hit, taking in more than $158 million worldwide. But it was released in 2005 — apparently too long ago for audiences to be interested in a sequel.
With all the newcomers fizzling, the biggest films at the weekend box office were holdovers: “Guardians of the Galaxy” (Disney) was No. 1, with estimated ticket sales of $17.6 million, for a four-week domestic total of $251.9 million, followed by “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (Paramount), which took in about $16.8 million, for a three-week total of $145.6 million.