The Magnificent Seven came so, so close to beating a box office record for a Western release, but couldn't quite hit the mark. Still, it did stay on track for its predicted opening weekend haul of $35 million. Though the studio might have been hoping for closer to $40 for the Antoine Fuqua-helmed picture, as some early predictions suggested could happen, Westerns aren't the big draw they used to be -- even with this movie's considerable star power (including Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'OnofrioPeter Sarsgaard, Denzel Washington).

As mentioned in the Friday Box Office report, the record holder is Cowboys & Aliens, which opened to $36.4 million in 2011. That is, unless we're counting animated features, where Rango holds the top overall Western spot at $38.1 million.

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Image via Warner Bros. Animation

Things were not so sunny elsewhere on the box office charts this weekend. Nicholas Stoller and Doug Sweetland's Storks pulled in $21 million, which is far below what an animated feature should be grabbing (although personally I don't think I ever saw any advertising for it). Warner Bros. is not typically a player in the animation game, but it did have a sneaky hit with The Lego Movie in 2014. $21 million doesn't make Storks a dud, and the movie managed to gross $40 when combined with overseas numbers. It also came away with the same A- Cinemascore as The Magnificent Seven, which could speak to some box office longevity.

Last weekend's king, Sully, (directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Tom Hanks) settled into third place with only a 38% decline. Bridget Jones's Baby saw a 47% decline and fairly low numbers domestically, but did very well in the UK. Oliver Stone's Snowden continues to pull a quiet box office gross, but the Blair Witch sequel continues to tumble down the charts.

What did you guys support this weekend, and did it live up to expectations? If you haven't seen Kubo yet, you should go while it's still in theaters. It's rare to say that a movie needs a theatrical experience these days when home systems are so great, but seriously, to fully appreciate the art and mastery of what Laika is doing with its creations, see it in a theater.

Here's the full list of weekend box office numbers below:


Rank

Title

Weekend

Total

1.

The Magnificent Seven

$35,000,000

$35,000,000

2.

Storks

$21,805,000

$21,805,000

3.

Sully

$13,830,000

$92,393,447

4.

Bridget Jones's Baby

$4,520,000

$16,457,675

5.

Snowden

$4,144,989

$15,139,215

6.

Blair Witch

$3,950,000

$16,128,695

7.

Don't Breathe

$3,800,000

$81,110,808

8.

Suicide Squad

$3,110,000

$318,133,343

9.

When the Bough Breaks

$2,500,000

$26,613,349

10.

Kubo and the Two Strings

$1,103,000

$45,954,573

peter-dinklage-haley-bennett-joe-wright-cyrano-musical-mgm
Image via Sony Pictures
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Image via Sony Pictures

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