MARVEL and Disney’s “Captain America: Brave New World” clung to the top of the North American box office this weekend despite a steep drop from its opening, earning an estimated US$28.2 million, analysts said Sunday.
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 January 29 release in China, according to state news agency Xinhua.
