The Martian blasts off to top of box office

Opening just days after NASA announced findings showing water on Mars, The Martian soaked up moviegoers at the box office.

Ridley Scott’s 3D space epic touched down in theatres with a robust $55 million (U.S.) over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. The results again proved moviegoers’ abiding thirst for space adventures, particularly ones that rely more on mathematics than monsters.

The 20th Century Fox release, starring Matt Damon as an astronaut left for dead on Mars, exceeded expectations to nearly rank as the top October debut ever. The estimated North American opening of The Martian surpassed that of Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar ($47.5 million) and virtually equalled the debut of Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity ($55.8 million).

October is proving especially busy with well-reviewed studio releases seeking broad audiences. Another acclaimed 3D spectacle, Sony’s The Walk, took a back seat to The Martian.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to Rentrak: 1. The Martian, $55 million. 2. Hotel Transylvania 2, $33 million. 3. Sicario, $12.1 million. 4. The Intern, $11.6 million. 5. Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, $7.7 million

20TH CENTURY FOX Has anyone told him there’s water? Matt Damon ponders intergalactic survival in Ridley Scott’s The Martian.