Ant- Man No. 1; Marvel on a roll
LOS ANGELES — Superhero film Ant- Man topped the weekend with $ 57.2 million, marking the 12th consecutive Marvel film to open in first place.
The film’s opening is on par with Marvel’s The Incredible Hulk, which premiered with $ 55 million in the United States and Canada in 2008. Hulk went on to collect $ 134.8 million domestically and $ 236.4 million worldwide.
Ant- Man, which reportedly cost $ 130 million to make, is about a lesser- known comic book hero. The film stars Paul Rudd as the titular character, a thief named Scott Lang and the second superhero to take the name Ant- Man. Lang is given a second chance by the original Ant- Man ( Michael Douglas). Together, they help protect the secret behind the Ant- Man suit, which enables its wearer to shrink while enjoying increased strength.
Moviegoers gave it an A grade from audience polling firm CinemaScore. Males made up the majority of audiences ( 58 percent) and 55 percent of audiences were over the age of 25. Internationally, Ant- Man collected $ 56 million in 27 markets, making the global haul a strong $ 114 million. An estimated $ 9.2 million of the global total came from Imax screens.
Meanwhile, Universal Pictures had three films in the top five last weekend domestically, the first time the studio has accomplished such a feat since 2003.
Minions fell 57 percent in its second weekend, to second place. It added $ 49.3 million to its domestic gross, making its haul about $ 216 million.
The animated film, featuring the voice of Sandra Bullock as super- villain Scarlet Overkill and co- starring Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Allison Janney and Steve Coogan, was produced by Universal and Illumination Entertainment for $ 74 million.
Universal’s Trainwreck, directed by Judd Apatow, had a better- than- expected opening, coming in at No. 3 with a solid $ 30 million. The film, which cost $ 35 million to make, is Apatow’s fifth feature and second- highest opening after the $ 30.7 million opening for Knocked Up in 2007.
The comedy stars Schumer as a magazine writer struggling with monogamy after meeting a down- to- earth sports doctor ( Bill Hader). The film co- stars Brie Larson, John Cena, Colin Quinn, Tilda Swinton and NBA superstar LeBron James.
Females again flexed their box- office might, turning out in masses to see the comedy. An estimated 66 percent of audiences were female and 63 percent were ages 30 and up.
Many critics and audiences hailed Schumer’s big screen debut as hilarious. Moviegoers gave the film an A- minus rating on CinemaScore. It racked up an 85 percent positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Coming in at fourth, Pixar’s Inside Out added $ 11.5 million in its fourth weekend at the domestic box office. Its total North American haul is about $ 306 million, making it the third- highest grossing Pixar movie of all time behind Toy Story 3 and Finding Nemo.
Universal’s Jurassic World crossed the $ 600 million mark in North America, adding $ 11.5 million in its sixth weekend in release.
In limited release, Woody Allen’s dramatic comedy Irrational Man debuted in five locations with $ 188,100, a per theater average of $ 37,620.