IT stays atop North American box office

Los Angeles

HORROR film IT Chapter Two stayed atop the North American box office this weekend, but the buzzy new Jennifer Lopez movie, Hustlers, notched a strong second place, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported on Sunday.

The latest Stephen King-inspired IT film, starring Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy and Bill Skarsgard, earned Warner Bros an estimated US$40.7 million for the three-day period, down from its US$91 million opening last weekend.

Hustlers, based on a true story about strippers who plot to steal from their wealthy clients in recession-hit New York, took in US$33.2 million for STX Films, that studio's best start ever. J-Lo has gotten rave reviews: Rolling Stone called her "dazzling", "electrifying" and Oscar-worthy. Hustlers also stars Constance Wu of Crazy Rich Asians fame, along with Julia Stiles, Cardi B and Lizzo.

Lionsgate's Angel Has Fallen, with Gerard Butler as a Secret Service agent accused of attempting to kill the US president, notched up US$4.4 million to place a distant third. In fourth was Good Boys, a raunchy tween comedy from Universal, at US$4.3 million.

And in fifth place was Disney's updated The Lion King, at US$3.6 million. Its North American total has surpassed US$533 million, making it the 12th largest domestic release of all time, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com.

Meantime, Warner Bros' widely promoted drama, The Goldfinch, adapted from a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, earned a mere US$2.6 million in what the Hollywood Reporter called "one of the worst starts ever" for a movie in wide release.

Rounding out the weekend's top 10 were: Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (US$2.8 million), Overcomer (US$2.7 million), The Goldfinch (US$2.6 million), The Peanut Butter Falcon (US$1.9 million), Dora & the Lost City of Gold (US$1.9 million). AFP