Chick flick big hit at box office

The women of Ocean’s 8 proved this weekend that they know how to steal the show – and much more – as the new heist flick took in an estimated $41.6 million in North American theatres.

With an all-star cast led by ever-popular Sandra Bullock, pictured, and supported by Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Mindy Kaling and Rihanna, the Warner Bros film was Hollywood’s latest experiment – after Ghostbusters – in replacing an all-male cast with female stars.

The result: one of the top10 openings of the year so far, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations, and a better debut than the three earlier Ocean’s editions made by Steven Soderbergh and starring a male principal cast.

The latest chapter stars Bullock as Debbie Ocean, sister of Danny Ocean – played by George Clooney in the Soderbergh films – as she assembles a gang to plan a seemingly impossible diamond heist from a glamorous gala in New York.

In second place was last weekend’s leader, Solo: A Star Wars Story, starring Alden Ehrenreich as a young version of the swashbuckling space pilot. The Disney film took in $15.7 million, roughly half its previous weekend’s total.

Third was Deadpool 2 from 20th Century Fox, at $14.1 million. This latest in the X-men series stars Ryan Reynolds in the title role. Its worldwide ticket sales have surpassed $650 million.

In fourth was a new horror film, Hereditary, starring Toni Collette and Gabriel Byrne at $13.6 million, the best opening for A24, the indie production house behind Moonlight.– AFP