‘Downton Abbey’ opens at the top
The takeaway from this weekend’s box-office results: Do not cross a dame.
Reviving a bejeweled cast that includes Maggie Smith’s haughty Dowager Countess, “Downton Abbey” opened to about $31 million in domestic ticket sales this weekend, beating out the Brad Pitt vehicle “Ad Astra” and “Rambo: Last Blood” for top place. The figure vastly exceeded predictions for “Downton” — its distributor, Focus Features, had expected the opening to bring in closer to $20 million.
The film, a sequel to the hit TV show that ran for six seasons, did not stray far from its predecessor’s recipe for success. It brings back the aristocratic Crawley family, who live on the sprawling English estate Downton Abbey, and once again intersperses their dramas with those of the house staff. The film’s plot picks up in 1927, shortly after the TV show’s finale, with an upstairs-and-downstairs cast of characters readying for a visit from the king and queen.
Marketing flourishes such as a behind-the-scenes TV special that aired on NBC last week and a listing on Airbnb for Highclere Castle, the country home where much of the series was shot, likely helped stoke fans’ excitement.
The movie’s biggest competitors were two fellow newcomers: 20th Century Fox’s “Ad Astra,” which opened to about $19.2 million in domestic sales, and “Rambo: Last Blood,” which is distributed by Lionsgate and opened to about $19 million.
“Ad Astra,” the latest from director James Gray, stars Pitt as an astronaut sent into deep space to establish contact with his father (a missing veteran astronaut played by Tommy Lee Jones).
“Rambo: Last Blood,” which brings back the vicious fighter played by Sylvester Stallone, received weak reviews: Its Rotten Tomatoes rating sits at 29% fresh.
Two holdovers rounded out the top five. Warner Bros.’ “It Chapter Two” picked up an estimated $17.2 million in its third weekend according to Comscore, which compiles box office data. STX Films’ “Hustlers” saw about $17 million in ticket sales.