IN THE SPOTLIGHT
by Fuqua (whose “Training Day” and “The Equalizer” also starred Washington), the film made splashy premieres 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 large-winged 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. Directed by Nicholas Stoller and Doug Sweetland, its voice cast is led by Andy Samberg.
The rest of the top 10 was populated by holdovers, with “Sully” slotting in at third with $13.8 million in its third week. It has now grossed $92.4 million domestically. A potentially bigger test of Hanks’ drawing power awaits the actor next month with the release of “Inferno,” in which he reprises his role as Robert Langdon in the Dan Brown franchise.
“The Magnificent Seven” slots in as one of the biggest openings for a Western ever, though the genre’s heyday predated modern wide releases. The only Westerns to debut better, not accounting for inflation, bended the genre in other directions: sci-fi in the case of “Cowboys & Aliens” ($36.4 million in 2011) and animation in “Rango” ($38.1 million, also in 2011).