‘mother!’ can’t compete

‘IT’ DOMINATES FOR SECOND WEEK AT BOX OFFICE

The Stephen King adaption “It” continues to scare up record ticket sales, taking in an estimated $60 million in its second week and leaving a paltry $7.5 million for Darren Aronofsky’s audacious genrebending psychological thriller “mother!”

New Line and Warner Bros.’ “It” remained easily the top draw in North American theatres, according to studio estimates Sunday. It slid 51 per cent from last week’s unexpectedly sensational opening of $123 million, the first September release to debut north of $100 million.

With $218.7 million to date, “It” is now the highest grossing September release ever, and a much-needed hit to follow a summer box office that slumped to a historically bad August. “It” also added $60.3 million internationally.

Paramount Pictures’ “mother!” has horror elements, too, so it was risky to schedule it right behind “It.” But Aronofsky’s film is a more art-house proposition, made for about $30 million. For star Jennifer Lawrence, it’s the worst wide-release opening of her career.

Reviews were generally good (68 per cent “fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes) for “mother!,” which premiered last week at the Venice Film Festival. But the film — an intense, allegorical tale about a woman (Lawrence) whose rural Victorian house is overrun by unwanted house guests — is an undeniably atypical, auteur-driven studio release. Audiences didn’t care for it, giving it a seldom-seen F CinemaScore.

“Admittedly, there are audiences who aren’t responding as favourably, but I think it’s one of those movies that’s so different and so audacious,” said Kyle Davies, president of domestic distribution for Paramount.