‘House With a Clock in Its Walls’ ticks to No. 1 in theaters

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.

Moore’s new film, which examines the rise of Trump and other developments like the water crisis in his hometown of Flint, Michigan, was the first release from former Open Road chief executive Tom Ortenberg’s new distributor, Briarcliff Entertainment. It had been predicted to open with $5 million to $8 million.

But despite a surge in success for documentaries at the box office — including “RBG,” “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” and “Three Identical Strangers” — “Fahrenheit 11/9” didn’t catch on.

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 top-rated series, his “Life Itself” bombed with $2.1 million despite a starry cast including Olivia Wilde, Oscar Isaac and Antonio Banderas.

The film — an unabashedly sentimental tale of destiny across generations — drew some of the most scathing reviews of the year, landing