‘The Hitman’s Bodyguard’ wins weekend

Widely panned movie tops critical favorite ‘Logan Lucky’

LOS ANGELES — Critics loved “Logan Lucky” and gave a big collective shrug to “The Hitman’s Bodyguard,” but when it came to the test of the marketplace, audiences went their own way.

When the two action flicks faced off this weekend, “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” emerged the victor with a chart-topping $21.6 million, according to studio estimates Sunday, while “Logan Lucky” sputtered on arrival with $8.1 million.

Both had notable stars. “Logan Lucky” has Channing Tatum and Daniel Craig, while “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” boasts Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson, and both opened in over 3,000 theaters and both cost around $30 million to produce. And both were targeted to adults, although one was R-rated (“Hitman’s Bodyguard”) and one PG-13 (“Logan Lucky”).

But when it came to reviews, critics vastly preferred “Logan Lucky,” which boasts a 93 percent Rotten Tomatoes score, while “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” rests at 39 percent.

While it’s not an all-out flop, the stakes were a little higher for “Logan Lucky.” The NASCAR heist pic was not only director Steven Soderbergh’s big return to movies after a four-year retirement, but meant to also upend the traditional distribution model with crafty filmmaker-driven know how, independent financing, foreign and streaming service sales and a more concentrated and cheaper marketing push.

An $8.1 million debut from over 3,000 screens, however, isn’t enough to make a game-changing splash.

The horror holdover “Annabelle: Creation” earned $15.5 million to take second place in its second weekend.

In fourth place was Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk,” one of the summer’s bigger successes, with $6.7 million, which bumped its domestic total to $165.5 million. The buddy comedy “Girls Trip” sailed past the $100 million mark domestically, and “Wonder Woman” crossed $800 million worldwide.