‘Good Boys’ Tops Box Office, Bringing Hope For Original Comedies

Universal is shaking off the damage from pulling “The Hunt” from release, but it can take comfort in the surprise showing of R-rated comedy “Good Boys.” Not only is it the first original film to reach number one since “Us” in March (another Universal title), but it also shows the depth of the studio’s lower-budget slate.“Good Boys” pushed a Universal franchise, “Hobbs & Shaw,” from the top spot, and created the rare case when a non-Disney studio held the top two spots.

The week also came with four new wide releases: Two were sequels (“The Angry Birds Movie 2” and “47 Meters Down: Uncaged”), both of which failed to do more than mediocre business.

Blinded By the Light” and “Where’d You Go, Bernadette” both targeted older audiences and struggled to gain attention, though the former — a Bruce Springsteen-inspired crowd pleaser — seemed to show initial word-of-mouth appeal.

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