New Warner Bros. release “Space Jam: A New Legacy” rocketed to the top of the North American box office over the weekend, taking in an estimated US$31.6 million in the best showing of a family film since Covid-19 first hammered the industry.
The live action/animated movie — a sequel nearly 25 years after the original “Space Jam” with Michael Jordan — has NBA superstar LeBron James teaming up with Bugs Bunny and other Looney Tunes characters in a high-stakes basketball game against a rogue artificial-intelligence entity threatening his son.
The film’s surprise showing, despite middling-to-terrible reviews — the New York Post called it an “abomination” — propelled it past last weekend’s leader, Disney superhero film “Black Widow.”
That Marvel Studios production, starring Scarlett Johansson, took in US$25.6 million in the Friday-through-Sunday period, down sharply from its US$80.4 million opening, according to industry watcher Exhibitor Relations.
In third place was Sony’s psychological thriller “Escape Room: Tournament of Champions,” at US$8.8 million. Taylor Russell and Logan Miller, reprising their roles in 2019’s “Escape Room,” face a series of deadly traps and puzzles set by the evil Minos.
Fourth place went to Universal’s “F9: The Fast Saga,” at US$7.6 million, bringing the four-week domestic total of the Vin Diesel/John Cena action thriller to US$154 million.
And in fifth was Universal’s animated “Boss Baby: Family Business,” at US$4.7 million.
Meantime, “Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain” — the Focus Features/CNN Films movie about the world-traveling chef — had the best opening of a documentary this year, at US$1.9 million.
Rounding out the top 10 were:
- “The Forever Purge” (US$4.2 million)
- “A Quiet Place: Part II” (US$2.3 million)
- “Roadrunner” (US$1.9 million)
- “Cruella” (US$1.1 million)
- “Pig” (US$945,000)