'Don't Breathe' scores, ousts 'Suicide Squad' at box office

LOS ANGELES -- The horror movie "Don't Breathe" has reason to let out a big sigh of relief. Audiences turned out in droves for the late-summer thriller, which brought in $26.1 million, according to studio estimates released Sunday.

That's more than double the early predictions for how the scary pic would perform and far above the modest production budget, which was reportedly less than $10 million. Stage 6 Films produced and Sony's Screen Gems oversaw distribution.

"Don't Breathe" is about a group of Detroit teens who chose the wrong house to rob -- that of a blind, vengeful veteran.

It stars Jane Levy and Dylan Minnette and was directed by Fede Alvarez, who is known for the "Evil Dead" remake.

Sony Pictures marketing chief Josh Greenstein noted how rare it was for a film in this genre to have resonated so deeply with critics. The current Rotten Tomatoes score is a very fresh 87 percent. It also continues Sony's summer of seeing successes with original films that cost very little to make.

"This marks a string of very profitable hits for Sony with very modest budgets. 'The Shallows,' 'Sausage Party' and now 'Don't Breathe' were all incredibly profitable because they were made for modest budgets and did incredibly well at the box office," Greenstein said.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released today.

1."Don't Breathe," $26.1 million ($1.9 million international).

2."Suicide Squad," $12.1 million ($19.6 million international).

3."Kubo and the Two Strings," $7.9 million ($1.5 million international).

4."Sausage Party," $7.7 million ($1.6 million international).

5."Mechanic: Resurrection," $7.5 million ($6.1 million international).

6."Pete's Dragon," $7.3 million ($3.5 million international).

7."War Dogs," $7.3 million ($5.3 million international).

8."Bad Moms," $5.8 million ($6.3 million international).

9."Jason Bourne," $5.2 million ($56.8 million international).

10."Ben-Hur," $4.5 million ($6.3 million international).