‘Hitman’s Bodyguard’ Shoots for $20 Million Opening at Box Office

Lionsgate’s “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” has taken advantage of weak competition at the August box office to take the No. 1 spot this weekend. The Samuel L. Jackson/Ryan Reynolds action comedy is estimated to make $20.5 million this weekend from 3,377 screens, performing on the upper end of the $17-20 million range set for the film by independent trackers.

The solid performance of “Hitman’s Bodyguard” ran against the new conventional wisdom in Hollywood that poor scores on Rotten Tomatoes can kill a film, as the star power of Jackson and Reynolds seems to have outweighed the film’s disappointing 39 percent score on the Tomatometer. Audiences also largely enjoyed the film, giving it a B+ on CinemaScore.