‘Strange’ reigns but ‘Downton’ shows class on N.America screens
Doctor Strange is still on top after three weeks, while the Downton Abbey movie surprised with solid business
DOCTOR Strange in the Multiverse of Madness continued its domination in North American theaters this weekend, earning an estimated US$31.6 million (RM138.8 million), while the latest Downton Abbey came in a stately second, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations said Sunday.
Marvel and Disney’s Strange, again starring the versatile Benedict Cumberbatch, has been a Covid-era star since its release three weekends ago. It has now earned US$342 million domestically and US$461 million abroad for a global total of US$803 million.
Downton Abbey: A New Era from Focus Features took in a solid US$16 million. Perhaps not surprising given the huge popularity of the British TV series that inspired it, but nonetheless a sign that older moviegoers – the most reluctant to return to pandemic-era theaters – are beginning to do so.
“This is a very good opening,” said David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research, who noted that nearly half of ticket buyers were aged 55 or older.
Writer/director Julian Fellowes, Gross said, “is the George Lucas of period English sitting-room drama.”
Most of the original Downton cast – led by Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern and Michelle Dockery – appear in the sequel, which critics have called an “affectionate group hug.”
In third place for the Friday-through-Sunday period was Universal’s animated action-comedy The Bad Guys. The DreamWorks Animation production, with a voice cast led by Sam Rockwell, Awkwafina and Anthony Ramos, took in US$6.1 million.
Paramount’s family-friendly Sonic the Hedgehog 2 slipped one spot from last weekend to fourth, at US$3.9 million.
In fifth was A24’s new horror film Men, at US$3.3 million. Directed by Alex Garland, who made Ex Machina, and starring Jessie Buckley, it drew a rare low D+ grade from the CinemaScore site.
Meanwhile a pro-Donald Trump film, 2000 Mules, earned US$765,000 to claim 11th spot.
The movie from conservative Dinesh D’Souza – who in 2018 received a pardon from Trump for a felony conviction of making illegal campaign contributions – falsely claims to offer “smoking gun” evidence of massive voter fraud in the 2020 election.
source – AFP
