‘Invisible Man’ is clearly No. 1

Universal and Blumhouse’s “The Invisible Man” opened in movie theaters in first place with $29 million, exceeding analyst predictions of $20 million, according to estimates from measurement firm Comscore. Globally the film debuted to $49.2 million.

The eerie psychological thriller stars Elisabeth Moss as the former girlfriend of the eponymous character in a modern reimagining of the classic movie monster. In its first weekend, the film is already the highest-grossing horror release of the year in a landscape littered with disappointments and outright bombs including “The Grudge,” “The Turning” and “Brahms: The Boy II.”

Directed by Leigh Whannell (“Upgrade”), the $7-million movie was well received with a B+ CinemaScore and a 90% “fresh” rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.

In second place, Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” added $16 million in its third weekend. It stands at $265.5 million in worldwide receipts.

At No. 3, 20th Century Studios’ “The Call of the Wild” added $13.2 million in its second weekend. Globally, the film has earned $79.3 million.

In fourth place, Sony Pictures TV and Funimation opened the anime movie “My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising” on Wednesday earning $6.3 million for the weekend. It was positively received with a 91% “fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Rounding out the top five, Sony’s “Bad Boys for Life” added $4.3 million in its seventh weekend. It stands at $406 million globally.

At No. 6, Warner Bros.’ “Birds of Prey” added $4.1 million in its fourth weekend.

In seventh place, TruTV’s “Impractical Jokers: The Movie” expanded into wide release in its second weekend, adding $3.5 million.

At No. 8, Universal’s “1917” added $2.7 million in its 10th weekend.

In ninth place, STX Entertainment’s “Brahms: The Boy II” added $2.6 million in its second weekend.

Rounding out the top 10, Sony and Blumhouse’s “Fantasy Island” added $2.3 million.

In limited release, Focus Features’ “Emma” added 92 theaters (up from five the previous weekend) and $1.2 million in its second weekend for a cumulative $1.5 million.

Globally the film has earned $12.9 million and will be expanding into wide release this coming weekend.