Chris Luckett

Despite having starred in such masterpieces as Cloud Atlas and Captain Phillips in recent years, it’s been seven years since a live-action Tom Hanks movie opened #1 at the box office.

Sully, the Clint Eastwood-directed biography of Capt. Chelsey “Sully” Sullenberger, played on screen by Hanks, not only reclaimed that throne but also nearly broke September box office records.

Earning an estimated $36-million, Sully scored the third highest-grossing September debut for live-action movie ever, and the fifth-highest overall. It’s Hanks’ fourth-highest, behind established-franchise pictures Angels & Demons, The Da Vinci Code, and Toy Story 3.

When the Bough Breaks, a thriller starring Morris Chestnut and Regina Hall, scored far below expectations with an estimated $15-million. Its 0% score on Rotten Tomatoes should result in its swift disappearance from theatres in the next few weeks.

Previously uncontested champion Don’t Breathe fell to third place with an estimated $8.2-million. Its total now stands at a domestic $69-million.

Suicide Squad made an estimated $5.7-million, bringing its North American total to $307-million. Worldwide, it now stands at $699-million.

Making it into the top 5 by defualt was The Wild Life, an animated telling of Robinson Crusoe that debuted to an estimated $3.4-million.

The week’s other new release, the Kate Beckinsale-starring The Disappointments Room, perfectly delivered on the irony of its title, opening to an estimated $1.4-million and 17th place.

This weekend, wide releases Snowden, Blair Witch, Bridget Jones’s Baby, and Hillsong will vie to unseat Sully.

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1. Sully ($35,505,000)
2. When the Bough Breaks ($15,000,000)
3. Don’t Breathe ($8,210,000)
4. Suicide Squad ($5,650,000)
5. The Wild Life ($3,400,000)
6. Kubo and the Two Strings ($3,230,000)
7. Pete’s Dragon ($2,938,000)
8. Bad Moms ($2,830,000)
9. Hell or High Water ($2,600,000)
10. Sausage Party ($2,300,000)

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(Source: Box Office Mojo)