Box Office: "Downton Abbey" beats "Ad Astra", "Rambo: Last Blood" – Variety



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In a box office worthy of a queen, Focus Features 'Downton Abbey' dominated competition in North America.

The much-loved British TV show on the big screen exceeded expectations with $ 31 million, or $ 31 million, creating a new opening weekend record for the specialty studio. "Downton Abbey" easily outperformed his colleagues "Ad Astra" and "Rambo: Last Blood", who are in a tight race for second place.

Abroad, the drama of the royal period has raised $ 41 million so far for a global total of $ 61.8 million. The creator of the series, Julian Fellowes, wrote "Downton Abbey", under the direction of Michael Engler. Much of the cast of the television show – including Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Michelle Dockery and Maggie Smith – came back for the adaptation of the film. "Downton Abbey" is today the most important opening weekend of a specialty studio in the last decade, as well as the second best start in specialty pricing behind The Weinstein Company's "Inglourious Basterds". $ 38 million).

Moviegoers, mostly older women, rated the movie as A CinemaScore – the highest score among the weekend's new offerings. In comparison, "Ad Astra "got a B- and" Rambo: Last Blood "got a B. As for" Downton Abbey ", 74% of ticket buyers were women and 60% were over 35 years old.

"The audience was clearly ready to return to Downton and visit the Crawley and all the familiar faces of the upper and lower floors," said Lisa Bunnell, president of Focus Features distribution. "Basically, it's a story about the family and the audience, whether original fans or newcomers, are thrilled by the laughter and joy of the film. We are excited to be part of something that began almost 10 years ago with our friends and colleagues at NBC International and Carnival Films, and staying with the NBCUniversal family with us and doing so well is amazing. "

At the same time, "Ad Astra" seems to have slightly outpaced "Rambo: Last Blood" in North America, reaching the top of the forecasts with 19.2 million US dollars spread over 3,450 sites. Nevertheless, the tragedy of the astronaut starring Brad Pitt and directed by James Gray will require a long trip to the multiplexes to justify its price of $ 80 million. "Ad Astra" was also launched at the international box office with $ 26 million for a global launch of $ 45.2 million.

"We are encouraged by the outcome of the weekend," said Cathleen Taff, president of Disney's global distribution. "The combination of James Gray and Brad Pitt's talent has become a cinematic experience not to be missed."

Spectators who have dared to watch "Ad Astra" in theaters have chosen to see it in the best possible quality. Imax displays accounted for $ 4 million in ticket sales, representing 20% ​​of box office receipts across the country. International markets contributed an additional $ 2.6 million for a gross total of $ 6.6 million. Among the inaugural crowds of the weekend, 54% were men and nearly 75% were over 25 years old.

"Ad Astra" follows Roy McBride (Pitt), an astronaut on a mission through time and space to discover the truth about his missing father. Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Liv Tyler and Donald Sutherland complete the cast.

Although "Rambo: Last Blood" should be in the lead, the final chapter of Sylvester Stallone's action franchise should end in third place. (The official order may change when final figures are available on Monday.) The film reported $ 19.015 million on 3,618 locations, which is in line with studio expectations and slightly ahead of "Rambo" in 2008 ($ 18.2 million). dollars), the last entry in the series so far. the big screen. Adrian Grunberg directed the film, co-written by Stallone.

"Rambo: Last Blood" is expected to be Stallone's last victory in the role of John Rambo, a character first introduced to the public in the 1980s. Not surprisingly, older men accounted for the majority of the weekend's crowds Opening: 66% of opening weekend crowds were men, while 42% were over 30 years old.

After two weeks at the top of the national ranking, Warner Bros. & # 39; "It: Chapter Two" slipped to # 4. The sequel, based on Stephen King's terrifying novel, raised $ 17.2 million on its third outing for $ 179 million. dollars.

With $ 17 million, STX's "Hustlers" round out the top 5, a particularly promising figure considering the launch of three new films this weekend. After two weeks of publication, "Hustlers" raised $ 62 million in North America and $ 9.84 million abroad, for a global transportation of $ 72 million. The film – directed by Lorene Scafaria and starring Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, Keke Palmer and Lili Reinhart – cost $ 20 million to produce.

All the delays were so lucky. Warner Bros. 'The Goldfinch' dropped to 15th, scooping up just $ 760,000 in 2,542 movie theaters during its second weekend. Ansel Elgort is featured in the film adaptation of Donna Tartt's award-winning Pulitzer Prize, which has earned $ 4.5 million to date. Although Amazon studios co-financed "The Goldfinch," the $ 45 million film still risks being a big loser for Warner Bros.

More soon…

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