That take, on a slow February weekend, was just over one-fourth the US$100 million the superhero film earned at its opening. Reviews of the movie, with Anthony Mackie in the title role, have been decidedly weak.
Neon Studio’s new comedy-horror film “The Monkey,” based on a short story by Stephen King, opened in second place for the Friday-through-Sunday period, taking in an estimated US$14.2 million, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported.
Theo James, Rohan Campbell and Elijah Wood star in the movie about a demonic toy monkey that is linked to a series of horrific deaths.
In third place, slipping one spot from last weekend, was Columbia and Sony’s “Paddington in Peru,” at US$6.5 million. Ben Whishaw voices the lovable, floppy-hatted bear.
Also down one spot was “Dog Man,” a superhero comedy from Universal and DreamWorks, at US$5.9 million. The family-friendly animation is a spinoff from the best-selling “Captain Underpants” books.
And in fifth, at US$3 million, was “Ne Zha 2” from CMC Pictures. The Chinese blockbuster has become the biggest-ever box-office release in China and the highest-grossing animated film of all time.
The tale of a rebellious young deity who uses his powers to battle formidable foes, “Ne Zha 2” has logged worldwide ticket sales of US$1.72 billion since its Jan 29 release in China, according to state news agency Xinhua.
Rounding out the top 10 were:
- “Heart Eyes” (US$2.9 million)
- “The Unbreakable Boy” (US$2.5 million)
- “Mufasa: The Lion King” (US$2.5 million)
- “One of Them Days” (US$1.4 million)
- “Love Hurts” (US$1.1 million)