The Legend of Tarzan doing better than expected at US box office

Still not quite the blockbuster Warner were expecting

As reported earlier this week, things aren’t looking particularly bright over at the US box office; both $100+ million budget The BFG and The Legend of Tarzan are expected to flop in cinemas despite being directed by Steven Spielberg and David Yates, respectively.

However, there’s finally some good news surrounding The Legend of Tarzan. On its first Friday, the film managed to take $14.04 million, including Thursday previews, with Forbes estimating it could gross around $43 million by the end of the week.

The film, featuring an all-star cast including Alexander Skarsgård, Margot Robbie, Samuel L. Jackson and Christopher Waltz, was previously thought to gross little more than $35 million from 3,651 cinemas.

That extra $8 million comes as quite a surprise considering the film received negative reviews from critics. Cinema goers have been a little more favourable towards the film, scoring a Cinemascore of A-.

The audience attending Tarzan is also quite interesting; 51% female, 55% over 35-years-old, while only 18% under 18 -years old, a much more adult audience than previously expected.

If the film’s budget was around the $120 million mark, this would be cause for celebration, yet Warner pumped $180 million into the production. To make up the rest, they are likely holding out for huge overseas takings, much like how Warcraft has managed to gross huge amounts in China while very little domestically in the US.

Meanwhile, Margot Robbie recently revealed how she injured Skarsgård while filming a sex scene for the film.

Legend of Tarzan is out 6 July in the UK.