Whatever you have to say about Paramount Pictures’ decision to remake Eastman and Laird’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, produced by Michael Bay, directed by Jonathan Liebesman (Battle: Los Angeles) and starring Megan Fox, William Fichtner and Will Arnett, it’s definitely one for the “win” column as it pulled in an estimated $25 million its opening day with $4.6 million coming from Thursday previews.
That’s a solid showing that points to an opening weekend in the range of $60 million or more depending on how frontloaded it is due to its undeniable fan interest. That’s a bigger opening day than the $24.3 million opening for Disney’s Maleficent, starring Angelina Jolie, which took in $69.4 million in its three-day opening in late May, though many schools were still in session, plus its appeal to women meant it could stretch itself further over the coming summer months.
That’s also a stronger opening than Paramount’s similarly fannish G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, which opened with $22.2 million in early August 2009 for a $54.7 million weekend, as well as Fox’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which had a $19 million opening day and $54.8 million first weekend in early August two years later. Considering that both those movies received sequels, one would expect that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will follow suit.
