Deadpool dominates the box office for the second week in a row, while Race flops.
Marvel’s anti-superhero movie Deadpool continues to dominate movie theaters over the weekend, earning an estimated $55 million and destroying the latest new movies.
After making $152.2 million in its President’s Day weekend four-day debut, the comic book adaptation from 20th Century Fox starring Ryan Reynolds as a foul-mouthed mercenary again topped the American box office. Having already earned $235.4 million domestically, Deadpool, and it’s on track to becoming one of the most successful R-rated movies ever.
In fact, Deadpool earned $491.1 million globally so far.
Among the new movies released last weekend, Risen earned $11.8 million. The movie in which Joseph Fiennes plays a Roman soldier searching for Jesus, was made for about $20 million by Sony.
The Witch opened with $8.7 million, making the biggest opening for the indie movie label A24 since the 2014 movie Room.
Meanwhile, the Jesse Owens biopic from Focus Features, Race, flopped in the box office with only $7.3 million. The movie was directed by Stephen Hopkins and stars Stephan James as the Olympic sprinter. Critics bashed the movie saying the Stephen Hopkins, a director known for making D-rated horror movies, didn’t know how to tell the story.
All of the wrangling of the Olympic committee and the historical context of Germany circa 1936 are relevant background to Owens’ story, but that’s what they should be: background. A full exploration of its complexities and politics are fodder for a TV miniseries, not the B-story of an American hero’s biography – unless you’re talking about filmmakers who don’t know how to tell his story. [FlavorWire]
Apparently, the movie failed to capture Jesse Owens’ story and focused on the details instead of the big picture. And audiences were just not that interested in a “white savior” movie.
1. “Deadpool,” $55 million ($85 million international.)
2. “Kung Fu Panda 3,” $12.5 million ($7.2 million international).
3. “Risen,” $11.8 million.
4. “The Witch,” $8.7 million.
5. “How To Be Single,” $8.2 million ($10.9 million international).
6. “Race,” $7.3 million.
7. “Zoolander 2,” $5.5 million ($4.8 million international).
8. “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” $3.8 million ($2.6 million international).
9. “The Revenant,” $3.8 million ($8.6 million international).
10. “Hail, Caesar!” $2.6 million ($5.8 million international).