Arab Times

LOS ANGELES:

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The Smurfs are feeling a little blue this weekend.

The third installmen­t in Sony’s animated series, “Smurfs: The Lost Village,” made its box-office debut in third place, with $14 million — far behind family-friendly holdovers “The Boss Baby” and “Beauty and the Beast,” according to studio estimates Sunday.

Featuring the voices of Demi Lovato and Joe Manganiell­o, “Smurfs,” which reportedly cost $60 million to make, has not charmed critics either. Its earnings were worse than the 2013 opening of “Smurfs 2,” which went on to gross $347.5 million worldwide despite a $17.5 million debut and a heftier $105 million price tag.

But the fate of the third “Smurfs” is not necessaril­y sealed, says ComScore’s senior media analyst, Paul Dergarabed­ian.

“There are other revenue streams for films like this,” Dergarabed­ian said, noting internatio­nal profits and home video potential that could recoup production costs.

In first place, “The Boss Baby” added $26.3 million in its second weekend in theaters, bringing its North American total to $89.4 million. Sufficient buzz and the benefit of voice star Alec Baldwin’s popular portrayal of President Donald Trump on “Saturday Night Live” likely helped the film succeed, Dergarabed­ian said.

Meanwhile, “Beauty and the Beast” earned $25 million to take second place at the box office. In four weeks, Disney’s live-action fairy tale has brought in $432.3 million domestical­ly.

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