Space Jam 2 beats Black Widow in surprise victory at US box office
The film starring LeBron James took the top spot although it was rebuffed by critics. Audiences appeared to embrace the sequel though, giving it an A- on CinemaScore.
This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows an animated LeBron James in a scene from "Space Jam: A New Legacy." (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)
The Tune Squad ruled over the court and box office charts this weekend. In an unexpected win, Space Jam: A New Legacy, which sees LeBron James team up with the animated Looney Tunes crew, debuted to US$31.6 million (S$42.9 million) in ticket sales.
The better-than-expected start for Space Jam 2 pushed last weekend's champion, Disney and Marvel's Black Widow, to second place on box office charts with US$25 million. Critics rebuffed Space Jam: A New Legacy (it holds a bleak 31 per cent average on Rotten Tomatoes), but audiences appeared to embrace the film, giving it an A- on CinemaScore. Space Jam 2 played in 3,965 cinemas in North America, while being available on HBO Max at no extra charge to subscribers.
Sony's Escape Room: Tournament Of Champions opened in third place with US$8.4 million from 2,815 locations. Though on par with industry expectations, its three-day debut marks a steep decline from its predecessor, 2019's Escape Room, which debuted to US$18 million and ended its box office run with US$57 million. The sequel cost US$15 million to produce, an increase from the first film's US$9 million price tag.
At No 4, Universal's Fast And Furious sequel F9 pulled in US$7.6 million in its fourth weekend of release, bringing its overall US tally to US$154 million. Another Universal title, The Boss Baby: Family Business, rounded out the top five, generating US$4.7 million over the weekend. In total, the animated sequel to 2017's Boss Baby has made US$44 million in theatres while playing simultaneously on the nascent streaming service Peacock.
(Source: Reuters)Â
