Box-Office: ‘Maze Runner’ Takes The Top Spot, Fox Schedules Sequel For September 2015

Well, a new young adult-franchise has been born. Made for a relatively low $34 million, 20th Century Fox took the #1 spot this weekend with their latest YA-entry, “The Maze Runner.” On a whopping 3,604 screens, its $32.5 million opening didn’t break the bank, nor did it outperform opening-weekend numbers from 2014 YA movies like “The Fault In Our Stars” or “Divergent,” but it did best YA films like “Ender’s Game” and the last “Percy Jackson” movie. And so for this more modest picture with fewer well-known stars, “The Maze Runner” did solid business. Especially when you consider that its overseas totals made for an $81.5 million dollar opening weekend global total. The film also did well considering its season, early September when audiences aren’t flocking to theaters. And so “The Maze Runner” opening was the 6th highest September opening ever, and course without 3D surcharges.

52% of audiences were female and while Dylan O’Brien isn’t a huge star, his stint on MTV’s “Teen Wolf”...