Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles tops US box office with $65 million

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has topped the US and Canada box office, taking $65 million from August 8 to 10, according to studio estimates.

Paramount, the studio behind the action movie, immediately announced plans for a sequel, which will be released in 2016.

Paramount’s Megan Colligan said the movie’s success was due to two different groups – those who remembered the original 1980s and 90s franchise and children who watched the recent Nickelodeon cartoon series.

“It’s odd when you have 25 to 35-year-olds and then seven to 12-year-olds really excited about the same film,” Megan Colligan said.

“The teen audience was actually the one that wasn’t as familiar with the property, so we put a lot of focus on teens.”

Guardians of the Galaxy dropped to second place, taking $41.5 million.

Into the Storm, starring Richard Armitage, took third place with $18 million.

Disney drama The Hundred-Foot Journey, starring Helen Mirren, was fourth with $11.1 million.

North American box office Top 5:

1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – $65 million
2. Guardians of the Galaxy – $41.5 million
3. Into the Storm – $18 million
4. The Hundred-Foot Journey – $11.1 million
5. Lucy– $9.3 million

Source: Rentrak