15 years ago, a movie starring Money Monster" opened in third place, with an estimated $15.0 million, and even that was better than analysts predicted.

Because it came behind "The Jungle Book," "Money Monster" will probably engender a lot of hand-wringing about how original movies and old-fashioned star power no longer attract audiences like they once did. Even though the film earned a modest $3 million more than expected.
There was similar discussion this time last year, when Clooney's "Inside Out.")

But the truth is, the right star in the right role-- in the right movie -- can still sell tickets. Clooney's earlier 2016 movie, "Gravity," an enormous ($274 million) hit based on an original idea (and also a triumph of digital filmmaking and 3D spectacle). Of course, the star whose appeal really sold that movie was Sandra Bullock, but Clooney helped.

Other recent Clooney pictures, such as "The Descendants," aren't generally thought of as huge hits, but they did both gross about $80 million. "Tomorrowland," considered an even bigger flop because of its failure to recoup its massive budget, still earned $93 million in North America. None of these movies would have approached $100 million with a lesser star. "Money Monster" will definitely struggle to reach that height, but at least it will help that Clooney plays a familiar part in it, that of a smug professional who's brought low, then struggles toward redemption.
Roberts, too, is considered a waning star, but she has two films right now in the top five. "Mother's Day" opened modestly but held on well enough to add 150 more screens in its third weekend and managed a fifth-place take of $3.3 million. If anything, "Money Monster," which opened with nearly twice the sales that "Mother's Day" did, should do even better over the long run.

In any case, summer is generally a bad time to test star-drawing power at the box office, since it's the time when concept, brand, and spectacle define movies more than stars do.

This weekend, however, we'll see whether The Nice Guys," a period buddy-sleuth action-comedy whose original concept is hard to summarize on a poster.

Next month, Jason Bourne." That's a familiar franchise, but it wouldn't do as well without Damon (as "The Bourne Legacy" demonstrated).

Should these prove a hit with audiences, it's further proof that all you need is the right star, in the right role, in the right movie.