‘John Wick 3’ dethrones ‘Avengers: Endgame’ at weekend box office
It had to happen eventually, and Keanu Reeves was the man to do it.
Lionsgate’s “John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum†stole the top spot at the weekend box office from the mighty Marvel blockbuster “Avengers: Endgame,†which had dominated for three consecutive weeks.
“Parabellum†opened above expectations with a franchise-best $57 million in the U.S. and Canada and earned $92.2 million globally (another franchise record), according to estimates from measurement firm Comscore.
The original “John Wick†opened in 2014 with $14.4 million and was followed up in 2017 with “Chapter 2,†which premiered to $30.4 million in domestic grosses.
In “Parabellum,†Reeves resumes the role of the titular former hitman who finds himself on the run from assassins. It earned positive reviews with an A- CinemaScore and an 89% “fresh†rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.
“Endgame†added $29.4 million this weekend, a 54% drop, for a cumulative $770.8 million. Globally, the film stands at $2.6 billion and remains the No. 2 film of all time, behind only “Avatar†($2.78 billion).
At No. 3, Warner Bros.’ â€Pokémon Detective Pikachu†added $24.8 million in its second weekend for a cumulative $94 million.
In fourth place, Universal’s “A Dog’s Journey†opened below expectations with $8 million.
The film, told from the perspective of a dog, is a follow-up to 2017’s “A Dog’s Purpose†which opened with $18 million before grossing $64 million during its theatrical run. The latest installment earned an A rating on CinemaScore but mixed reviews, with a 49% “rotten†rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Rounding out the top five, United Artist Releasing’s “The Hustle†added $6 million in its second weekend for a cumulative $23.1 million.
At No. 6, Sony’s “The Intruder†added $4 million in its third weekend for a cumulative $28 million.
In seventh place, Lionsgate’s “The Long Shot†added $3.4 million in its third weekend for a cumulative $25.7 million.
The final new release of the weekend, Warner Bros.’ â€The Sun Is Also a Star,†opened at No. 8 with a disappointing $2.6 million.
Based on a YA novel by Nicola Yoon, the film earned a B- CinemaScore and a 50% “rotten†rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
At No. 9, STX Entertainment’s “Poms†added $2 million in its second weekend for a cumulative $10 million.
Rounding out the top 10, the studio’s “Uglydolls†added $1.6 million in its third weekend for a cumulative $17.2 million.
In limited release, A24’s “The Souvenir†earned $84,851 on four screens, for a per-screen average of $21,213.
Fox Searchlight expanded “Tolkien†into six additional locations (1,501 total) to gross $735,000 for a cumulative $3.8 million.
Neon expanded “The Biggest Little Farm†into 40 additional locations for a total of 45 with $270,000 for a per-screen average of $6,000 and a cumulative $406,708.
This week, Buena Vista and Disney reveal the live-action reimagining of “Aladdin,†United Artists Releasing opens the comedy “Booksmart,†and Sony Screen Gems debuts the horror film “Brightburn.â€
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