Tim Burton's movie starts with $ 45 million – Variety

Disney's "Dumbo" had a disappointing takeoff at the national box office. The remake of the 1941 cartoon by Tim Burton made its debut with $ 45 million from 4,259 North American theaters, which is below expectation as the weekend approaches.

Although it was better than the national box office, this is the lowest start among the recent live remakes of the Disney classics studio. In comparison, "The Beauty and the Beast" of 2017 debuted with $ 174 million, the 2016 "Jungle Book" with $ 103 million and the "Cinderella" of 2015, with $ 67 million. dollars.

According to previous estimates, "Dumbo" could exceed $ 50 million in the first three days of publication. The beginning of the original comic book "Dumbo" 80 years ago is probably one of the reasons for this more discreet opening, which makes the adorable elephant seem a little less relevant than classics like " Beauty and the Beast "and" The Book of the Jungle ", both of which have become huge. success for the studio.

"Dumbo" has a production budget of $ 170 million. The high-flying elephant will have to resonate abroad if "Dumbo" fails to pick up speed at the national box office. The film was launched in most international territories this weekend, raising US $ 71 million in foreign markets for a global launch of $ 116 million.

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Despite the family-level competition of movies like Disney's "Captain Marvel" and Warner Bros. "Shazam", which will be released next weekend, the studio is optimistic that "Dumbo" will remain a draw for a younger audience.

"We are very encouraged by the beginning," said Cathleen Taff, head of national distribution at Disney. "Our Cinemascore is strong and we are well positioned as the best choice for the family audience."

Spectators were more receptive than critics to Tim Burton's view of the baby elephant with small ears. The audience attributed to "Dumbo" a Cinémascore, although it holds 50% of rotten tomatoes. As expected, families accounted for 54% of the crowds of the opening weekend. The audience of "Dumbo" also slightly skewed: women were at 53%.

"Dumbo" is the first of three prestigious reinterpretations of Disney that will hit the big screen this year, with "Aladdin" by Guy Richie and "The Lion King" by Jon Favreau appearing this summer. These films, along with the highly anticipated mashup of the studio's "Avengers: Endgame" studio, will undoubtedly offset any pain caused if "Dumbo" fails to connect to the public.

Last weekend's champion, "We," dropped to second place, remaining solid with $ 33 million on his second outing. This marks a 53% drop from its opening weekend, a solid take into account of the kind of falling horror movies suffered generally after its initial release. Written and directed by Jordan Peele, "Us" has now surpassed $ 128 million in ticket sales in North America. The film, which stars Lupita Nyong'o and Winston Duke as a couple forced to fight blood-thirsty idiots, cost $ 20 million to produce.

Disney's "Captain Marvel" has added another $ 20 million on its third weekend of publication. In North America, it brings to over $ 350 million the superstar star with Brie Larson. It also generated $ 26 million abroad, bringing the global total to $ 990 million. At this rate, "Captain Marvel" should be the newest club member worth billions of dollars in no time.

The new version "Unplanned" will fight against "Five Feet Apart" Cole Sprouse and Haley Lu Richardson for fourth place. Both titles earned about $ 6 million this weekend.

Sunday's estimates show that "Five Feet Apart" advance slightly with $ 6.2 million, although the figures could change if the final results come Monday. The romantic drama of Lionsgate and CBS Films, now in its third weekend of release, has earned $ 35 million to date.

"Unplanned," which tells the true story of Abby Johnson, a Planned Parenthood employee who has life changing experience, has raised $ 6.1 million on 1,060 sites. According to Pure Flix, the photo doubled expectations, which set the opening weekend at around $ 3 million.

"Introducing the story of Abby Johnson to the public and making it appear so numerous shows just how important the subject of abortion is to the public," said Michael Scott, CEO of Pure Flix. "We hope both sides of the debate will see" unplanned "and begin their own dialogue. This film can be a spark to get more hearts and minds to understand the value of life. "

In addition, Matthew McConaughey had the worst opening of his career with "The Beach Bum". Directed by Harmony Korine, the film dropped $ 1.8 million on 1,100 screens. The studios had originally planned the release of a platform, which could have allowed the film to gain ground through word of mouth. Instead, the comedy Stoner has been open nationwide with little marketing since its premiere at South by Southwest.

The year 2019 was difficult for McConaughey. Earlier this year, his film "Serenity", a neo-black thriller with Anne Hathaway, collapsed with a first $ 4.5 million film. He raised $ 11.4 million worldwide.

With regard to the box office, "How to train your dragon: The hidden world" of Universal has exceeded the 500 million dollars of ticket sales around the world. The final of the "Dragon" trilogy has earned $ 152 million in North America and $ 348 million internationally.

Despite the vital push of hits such as "Captain Marvel" and "Us", the national box office continues to beat more than 16% less than last year, according to Comscore.