Box office: ‘The Invisible Man’ surfaces as the year’s first horror hit with $29 million

Universal and Blumhouse’s “The Invisible Man� opened in movie theaters in first place with $29 million, exceeding analyst predictions of $20 million, according to estimates from measurement firm Comscore. Globally the film debuted to $49.2 million.

The psychological thriller stars Elisabeth Moss as the former girlfriend of the eponymous character in a modern re-imagining of the classic movie monster. In its first weekend, the film is already the highest grossing horror release of the year in a landscape littered with disappointments and outright bombs including “The Grudge,� “The Turning� and “Brahms: The Boy II.�

Directed by Leigh Whannell (“Upgrade�), the $7-million movie was well received with a B+ CinemaScore and a 90% “fresh� rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.

In second place, Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog� added $16 million in its third weekend for a cumulative $128.3 million. It currently stands at $265.5 million in worldwide receipts.

At No. 3, 20th Century Studios’ “The Call of the Wild� added $13.2 million in its second weekend (a 47% drop) for a cumulative $45.9 million. Globally, the film has earned $79.3 million.

In fourth place, Sony Pictures TV and Funimation opened the anime movie “My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising� on Wednesday earning $6.3 million for the weekend and a cumulative $9.6 million for five days. It was positively received with a 91% “fresh� score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Rounding out the top five, Sony’s “Bad Boys for Life� added $4.3 million in its seventh weekend for a cumulative $197.4 million. It currently stands at $406 million globally.

At No. 6, Warner Bros.’ “Birds of Prey� added $4.1 million in its fourth weekend for a cumulative $78.8 million.

In seventh place, TruTV’s “Impractical Jokers: The Movie� expanded into wide release in its second weekend, adding $3.5 million for a cumulative $6.7 million.

At No. 8, Universal’s “1917� added $2.7 million in its 10th weekend for a cumulative $155.9 million.

In ninth place, STX Entertainment’s “Brahms: The Boy II� added $2.6 million in its second weekend (a 55% drop) for a cumulative $9.8 million.

Rounding out the top 10, Sony and Blumhouse’s “Fantasy Island� added $2.3 million in its third weekend for a cumulative $24.1 million.

In limited release, Focus Features’ “Emma� added 92 theaters (up from five last weekend) and $1.2 million in its second weekend for a cumulative $1.5 million. Globally the film has earned $12.9 million and expands into wide release next weekend.

Searchlight’s Peter Pan-inspired “Wendy� opened on four screens to $30,000 for a per-screen average of $7,500. It was poorly received with a 40% “rotten� score on Rotten Tomatoes.

101 Studios’ �Burden� opened on five screens to $20,142 for a per-screen average of $4,028. It was poorly received with a 50% “rotten� score on Rotten Tomatoes.

This week, Focus Features expands “Emma� into wide release, Disney and Pixar reveal the Tom Holland and Chris Pratt animation “Onward� and Warner Bros. releases the Ben Affleck sports drama “The Way Back.�