‘Boo 2!’ wakes up box office on flat weekend
WASHINGTON: It was a dismal weekend for North American cinemas -- but Liongates’ ‘Boo 2! A Madea Halloween’ managed to scare some life back into the box office, bagging the top spot, according to industry estimates Sunday.
Starring Tyler Perry -who also wrote, directed and produced the comedy horror sequel -- ‘Boo 2!’ sees Madea (Perry) and the gang head to a haunted campground, only to then have to escape monsters lurking there.
With takings of US$21.7 million, ‘Boo 2!’ is the tenth Perry title to snatch the top spot on its opening weekend, Deadline reports.
‘Geostorm’ -- another new release -- took second place, but it was a disappointing opening for Warner Bros’ latest offering, with earnings of US$13.3 million.
The sci-fi disaster thriller follows Gerard Butler as a satellite designer tasked with saving the world from an apocalyptic storm -- caused by climate controlling satellites attacking the planet.
Meanwhile, ‘Happy Death Day’ dropped to third place from last week’s top spot -- with takings plummeting from US$26 million to US$9.3 million.
Starring Jessica Rothe, the comedy horror slasher follows a college student who repeatedly relives the day she was murdered until she discovers who killed her.
Sitting in fourth was Warner Bros’ “Blade Runner: 2049”, which halved its earnings for the second weekend running, taking US$7.1 million.
The sci-fi reboot features Ryan Gosling as a new Los Angeles Police Department “blade runner” charged with killing bioengineered androids known as “replicants.”
After uncovering a secret that threatens society, he embarks on a search for Harrison Ford’s character, a former blade runner who disappeared 30 years ago.
In at fifth was Sony’s new release ‘Only The Brave’, starring Josh Brolin, with earnings of US$6 million.
Based on a true story, the drama tells the tale of the Granite Mountain Hotshots -- a group of firefighters in Arizona -- who battle to protect a town from an historic wildfire. Rounding out the top 10 were:
• ‘The Foreigner’ (US$5.4 million)
• ‘It’ (US$3.5 million)
• ‘The Snowman’ (US$3.4 million)
• ‘American Made’ (US$3.1 million)
• ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’ (US$3 million)