Global Courant 2023-04-30 21:59:48
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NEW YORK (AP) — It’s still Mario Time at the box office.
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“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” led ticket sales for the fourth consecutive weekend in theaters in the US and Canada with $40 million, while Universal Pictures’ worldwide release surpassed $1 billion, according to studio estimates. Sunday.
The Nintendo video game adaptation dominated the month of April in theaters, breaking records along the way. It faced little new competition over the weekend, but that will change next week when Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” kicks off the summer movie calendar and is expected to sideline Mario. Studios spent the past week on CinemaCon in Las Vegas to promote upcoming blockbusters and promise big returns at the summer box office.
“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is estimated to easily surpass $1 billion in worldwide box office on Sunday, making it the 10th animated film to reach that milestone and the first since 2019. With a domestic total to date of $490 million, international sales are even stronger. The Illumination-animated release grossed $68.3 million overseas this weekend, pushing its international haul to $532.5 million.
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Second place went to ‘Evil Dead Rise’. The horror sequel from Warner Bros. held up well in its second week, especially for a horror film, dropping 50% with $12.2 million.
Among the weekend’s newcomers, the Judy Blume adaptation “Are You There God?” It’s me, Margaret” did best. The Lionsgate release grossed $6.8 million from 3,343 locations, kicking off the $30 million budgeted coming-of-age story written and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig (“The Edge of Seventeen”).
As expected, “Are you there God? It’s Me, Margaret,” about an 11-year-old (Abby Ryder Fortson) going through puberty, drew an overwhelmingly female audience. With great reviews (99% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and strong audience ratings (an “A” CinemaScore), “Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret,” should play well during Mother’s Day.
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Lionsgate also released the Finnish action movie “Sisu” in 1,006 locations. The film, about a prospector (Jorma Tommila) whose gold is stolen by Nazis, grossed an estimated $3.3 million. That was a solid result for the rare international film to get a nationwide opening. Reviews were good (93% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) for writer-director Jalmari Helander’s film.
“Sisu” managed to top the weekend’s most heavyweight new release: “Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World.” The film, from Sony’s Christian production company Affirm Films, puts a faith-based twist on the sports biopic. But after being pummeled by a bad review, it didn’t hit very hard, grossing $3 million in 3,054 theaters.
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Nida Manzoor’s “Polite Society,” about a British-Pakistani high school student (Priya Kansara) who dreams of becoming a stuntwoman, debuted with $800,000 in 927 theaters. One of the highlights of the Sundance Film Festival in January, Focus Features combines kung fu with Jane Austen in a story about London sisters.
One of the biggest successes of the weekend was a trusted box office. The re-release of “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi” by Walt Disney Co. grossed $4.7 million from just 475 theaters. Disney brought “Jedi” (the 1997 special version) back to theaters to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the 1983 film.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at theaters in the US and Canada, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released on Monday.
1. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” $40 million.
2. “Evil Dead Rise”, $12.2 million.
3. “Are you there, God? It’s me, Margaret,” $6.8 million.
4. “John Wick: Chapter 4,” $5 million.
5. “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi,” $4.7 million.
6. “Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,” $4.1 million.
7. “Air”, $4 million.
8. “Ponniyin Selvan: Part Two,” $3.6 million.
9. “The Covenant,” $3.6 million.
10. “Sisu,” $3.3 million.
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