Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – “A Minecraft Movie” easily held on to the top spot in North American theaters this weekend with estimated ticket sales of a solid $80.6 million, analysts said Sunday. That was roughly half the total of its huge opening last weekend. But with $281 million in domestic ticket sales to date, along with $269 million internationally, “Minecraft” has set records in its short run. The Warner Bros./Legendary PG film, starring Jack Black and Jason Momoa, ranks as the most successful film adaptation from a video game. The film’s huge popularity helped put the movie industry’s overall box office performance on a par with the same period last year, Hollywood Reporter said.
Four new releases came in far behind. “The King of Kings,” an animation that has a young Charles Dickens narrating the story of Jesus, placed second at an estimated $19.1 million during its strategic release a week before Easter, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported. Kenneth Branagh, Pierce Brosnan, Uma Thurman, and Mark Hamill lead the voice cast for the latest production from Angel Studios, the Utah-based indie media company known for its faith-based films. Angel offered free admission to children coming with paying adults, and the family-friendly movie received a rare A+ rating from ComScore.
In third place was Disney and 20th Century’s thriller “The Amateur,” at $15 million. Rami Malek plays a nerdy, self-effacing CIA analyst who turns vicious as he tracks down those behind an attack that killed his wife. Rachel Brosnahan, Laurence Fishburne, and Jon Bernthal also star. Combat thriller “Warfare” from A24 placed fourth, at $8.3 million. The film, based partly on the experiences of co-director Ray Mendoza as a navy SEAL, follows a platoon of soldiers — the ensemble cast includes Joseph Quinn of “Stranger Things” fame — moving warily through unfriendly territory.
And in fifth place was Universal and Blumhouse’s horror film “Drop,” at $7.5 million. It tells the story of a widowed mother (“White Lotus”‘s Meghann Fahy) who receives a creepily ominous phone call while in the middle of a first date.
Rounding out the top 10 were: “The Chosen: Last Supper Part 3” ($5.8 million), “A Working Man” ($3.1 million), “Snow White” ($2.8 million), “The Woman in the Yard” ($2.1 million), and “The Friend” ($621,000).
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