‘Cocaine Bear’ can’t claw past ‘Quantumania’

Universal Pictures’ “Cocaine Bear” couldn’t defeat Disney and Marvel’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” at the domestic box office this weekend, according to estimates from measurement firm Comscore.

The buzzy horror comedy debuted in second place at $23.1 million, behind the superhero sequel, which picked up $32.2 million in its second weekend for a North American cumulative of $167.3 million. The latest “Ant-Man” installment — one of the worst-reviewed Marvel movies of all time — sustained a steep 70% drop in ticket sales during its sophomore run.

Directed by Elizabeth Banks, “Cocaine Bear” is loosely based on the true story of a black bear that ingested large amounts of cocaine after a drug smuggler’s plane crashed in a Georgia forest in 1985. The star-studded cast of the gory romp includes Keri Russell, Margo Martindale, Alden Ehrenreich, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Kristofer Hivju, Kahyun Kim, Christian Convery, Brooklynn

Prince, Scott Seiss and the late Ray Liotta in one of his final roles.

Bolstered by an innovative marketing campaign that included a Super Bowl commercial and an 8-bit “Rise of Pablo Escobear” video game, “Cocaine Bear” scored a respectable 70% rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes and a B-minus grade from audiences polled by CinemaScore.

“Whether or not audiences form lines for ‘Cocaine Bear,’ it’s hard to completely dismiss a mainstream horror-comedy that offers a nice supply of sharp and grisly, at least until it takes a disappointing turn for soft and cuddly,” writes Los Angeles Times film critic Justin Chang.

“You’ve seen worse new movies in February, maybe even this February.”

“Audiences discovered this very outrageous, hysterical comedy that our director Elizabeth Banks delivered,” said Jim Orr, Universal distribution chief. “The film absolutely delivers on its preposterous premise. People wanted to come out and have a good time at the theater.”

Also new to theaters last weekend was Lionsgate’s “Jesus Revolution,” which secured third place at the domestic box office with $15.5 million. Co-directed by Jon Erwin and Brent McCorkle, the religious film based on the book of the same name stars Joel Courtney as a teenage boy who experiences a spiritual awakening in the 1970s.

“Jesus Revolution” received a mediocre 54% on Rotten Tomatoes and an A-plus grade from audiences polled by CinemaScore.

“Unfortunately, despite the interesting history, the ‘Jesus Revolution’ is a dry, scattered slog, neutered of all the thorny, contradictory details of the real story,” writes film critic Katie Walsh for the Los Angeles Times.

The film, likewise inspired by a true story, stars Kelsey Grammer as a California minister and Joel Courtney as youth minister, and dramatizes the movement of Christian hippies in the late ’60s and early ’70s. It launched with $15.5 million over the weekend and in advance screenings. Produced by the Kingdom Story Company, “Jesus Revolution” proved popular with Christian audiences, and surpassed early expectations.

Rounding out the top five were Disney and 20th Century Studios’ “Avatar: The Way of Water,” which added $4.7 million in its 11th weekend for a North American cumulative of $665.4 million; and Universal Pictures’ “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” which scratched up $4.1 million in its 10th weekend for a North American cumulative of $173.4 million.

“Avatar: The Way of Water” currently stands as the third-highest global release of all time.

Opening in wide release today are STX Entertainment’s “Operation Fortune: Ruse De Guerre” and Welcome Villain’s “Hunt Her, Kill Her.”

Also this week should see a new champ at the box office, with the release of Michael B. Jordan’s “Creed III.”

The bear that isn’t there: a completely computer-generated and self-indulgent collection of zeroes and ones is the protagonist of the No. 2 movie in the country, “Cocaine Bear.” Lord help us.