‘House with a Clock in Its Walls’ ticks to No. 1 in theaters
Jack Black, left, Owen Vaccaro and Cate Blanchett appear in a scene from “The House With a Clock in Its Walls,” a gothic family fantasy. NEW YORK » The gothic family fantasy “The House With a Clock in Its Walls” exceeded expectations to debut with an estimated $26.9 million in ticket sales at the weekend box office, while audiences showed considerably less interest in Michael Moore’s Donald Trump-themed documentary “Fahrenheit 11/9” than his George W. Bush-era one.
“The House With a Clock in Its Walls” was easily the biggest draw on a quiet weekend at North American movie theaters, where the other three new wide releases all disappointed or downright flopped.
“Fahrenheit 11/9” opened with $3.1 million in 1,719 cinemas — a huge debut for most documentaries but a fraction of the $23.9 million opening generated in 2004 by Moore’s record-breaking “Fahrenheit 9/11.” That film went on to make $222.4 million worldwide, a record for documentaries.
Dan Fogelman’s “Life Itself” and the home invasion thriller “Assassination Nation” both barely made a blip in nationwide release.
Though Fogelman’s “This Is Us” is one of TV’s toprated series, his “Life Itself” bombed with $2.1 million despite a cast that includes Olivia Wilde, Oscar Isaac and Antonio Banderas.
“Life Itself” — an unabashedly sentimental tale of destiny across generations — drew some of the most scathing reviews of the year, landing it a 13 percent “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Bleecker Street’s “Colette,” starring Keira Knightley as the iconic French author, debuted with $156,000 in four theaters, good for a per-screen average of $39,000.
Jacques Audiard’s dark Western “The Sisters Brothers,” starring Joaquin Phoenix and John C. Reilly, opened with $122,000 in four theaters for a $30,500 per-screen average.