Magnificent Seven rides to the top

NEW YORK — Movie stars don’t open movies anymore? Tell that to Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks. The two have dominated the last three weeks of the box office. After Clint Eastwood’s Miracle on the Hudson docudrama Sully, starring Hanks as Captain Chesley Sullenberger, topped ticket sales, The Magnificent Seven rode Washington’s star power to an estimated $35 million US debut over the weekend, according to studio estimates.

“They are the model of consistency and they are the model of quality,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comScore. “These are guys who can draw a huge audience in any type of movie that they’re in.”

Sony Pictures’ The Magnificent Seven cost about $90 million to make, so its path to profitability isn’t assured. The film made splashy premières at both the Toronto International Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival.

Coming in at a distant second was Warner Bros.’ Storks, an animated release where the largewinged birds have given up the baby delivery business for online sales. The film, which cost about $70 million to make, opened with $21.8 million.

The rest of the top 10 was populated by holdovers, with Sully slotting in at third with $13.8 million in its third week. The Magnificent Seven slots in as one of the biggest openings for a Western ever, though the genre’s heyday predated modern wide releases.