‘Maze Runner’ sprints to lead the Friday box office

A fierce story of a sun-scarred future or an icy mob tale? For weekend moviegoers, the heat appears to be winning out.

The YA-thriller “Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials” edged out Johnny Depp’s “Black Mass” in the first returns from the Friday box office. The dystopic action flick is poised to pull in around $31 million in its opening weekend, with a Friday haul of around $11 million, according to Box Office Mojo.

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The film, the second in the “Maze Runner” trilogy, came in slightly under last year’s inaugural installment, which earned $32.5 million in its first weekend. But it’s still a strong debut for the teen-oriented film, which stars Dylan O’Brien, Ki-Hong Lee, Kaya Scodelario and Thomas Brodie-Sangster.

“Black Mass” was still a steely contender, however. Depp’s widely praised portrayal of mobster James “Whitey” Bulger -- which earned strong nods at the Toronto, Venice and Telluride film festivals -- raked in $8.8 million on Friday, Box Office Mojo said, and looks ready to claim between $25 million and $27 million in its opening weekend.

Also notable: “Everest” performed strongly in a large-format-only early release, ascending to a $2.3-million Friday take that suggests a $7.1-million haul for the weekend. The film is set to go to wider release next week.

Rounding out the weekend’s box office, Paramount’s “Captive” proved less than captivating to audiences, despite a strong cast starring David Oyelowo and Kate Mara. The religious-themed thriller earned just $647,000 in its Friday take, with an estimated opening weekend under $2 million.

“Sicario,” however, could be stalking bigger returns. The harsh narco-terrorist drama starring Emily Blunt scored $133,810 in a six-location release, a good sign for its impending wide release on Oct. 2.

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