‘Fury’ grosses $1.2 million in Thursday night showings

The World War II film “Fury” starring Brad Pitt pulled in $1.2 million in Thursday night showings, putting it on track to top the box office this weekend.

The $68-million war movie, backed by Columbia Pictures with QED International and LStar Capital, opened in 2,489 locations Thursday night.

By comparison, the George Clooney war film “Monuments Men” opened to $550,000 in Thursday night showtimes in February.

Box-office forecasters said the latest Pitt action filmcould take in up to $30 million in ticket sales through Sunday in the U.S. and Canada.

As of Friday, the film had notched a 76% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Nicholas Sparks’ movie adaptation “The Best of Me” grossed $525,000 at Thursday night showings in 2,936 theaters in the U.S.

The film, which cost about $26 million to make, is the third Sparks adaptation for Relativity Media, which partnered with Sparks and DiNovi Productions for this release. Relativity said its exposure for the film is $5 million.

The romantic tearjerker follows high school sweethearts Dawson (James Marsden) and Amanda (Michelle Monaghan) when they reunite for a friend’s funeral after 20 years apart.

So far, it hasn’t fared well with critics. The film earned a low 6% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes as of Friday.

The third newcomer this weekend, “The Book of Life,” opened to $300,000 in 2,150 locations on Thursday night.

The animated film, cofinanced by 20th Century Fox and ReelFX, cost about $50 million to make. Forecasters predict it could gross between $15 million and $20 million this weekend. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film earned a 75% fresh rating as of Friday.

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