Latest ‘Lego’ film clicks well enough to lead N.American box office

A new movie starring a bunch of interlocking plastic bricks has snapped its way to the top of North American box offices this weekend, according to industry estimates on Sunday.

Warner Bros’ The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, took in an estimated $34.4 million for the three-day period, industry tracker Exhibitor Relations reported.

This fourth Lego film had actually been expected to do considerably better. The original The Lego Movie, in 2014, earned $69 million in its opening weekend. The latest installment, says Hollywood Reporter, has “lost much of the original’s irresistible snap.”

The new edition again features the voices of Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks and Will Arnett in a story about love, chaos and revenge in a grim, post-apocalyptic toyland.

In second place was Paramount comedy What Men Want, at $19 million. The film, a remake of 2000’s What Women Want, stars Taraji P. Henson.

Third spot went to thriller Cold Pursuit at $10.8 million. The film’s opening was overshadowed by controversy over racially fraught comments by lead actor Liam Neeson, and Lionsgate canceled a red-carpet premiere, but Variety said the opening tracked with expectations.

The Upside from STX Films earned $7.2 million in its fifth week out. The film stars Bryan Cranston as a wealthy quadriplegic who hires ex-convict Kevin Hart as his caretaker.

In fifth place was last week’s leading film, Glass from Universal, at $6.4 million. The M. Night Shyamalan thriller, mostly set in a psychiatric ward, stars Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson and James McAvoy.