Black comedy from award-winning ‘Parasite’ director tops North American box office
[LOS ANGELES] MICKEY 17, a black comedy from Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-ho, topped the North American box office this weekend with an estimated take of US$19.1 million, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported on Sunday (Mar 9). But Warner Bros and Plan B are not celebrating yet, given the film’s production cost of a reported US$118 million.
The film – Bong’s first since his Parasite became the first foreign language film to win a best-picture Oscar in 2020 – was eagerly awaited.
Robert Pattinson plays Mickey, who volunteers for hazardous space missions and, when killed, is repeatedly “reprinted” to be sent out again. Steven Yeun, Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo also star.
Marvel and Disney’s Captain America: Brave New World slipped one spot to second, earning US$8.5 million for the Friday-through-Sunday period.
In four weeks, the superhero flick has taken in US$176.6 million domestically and an additional US$194 million abroad.
Focus Features’ Last Breath earned US$4.2 million for third place. Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu and Finn Cole play a team of deep-sea divers racing to save a stranded teammate.
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In fourth was Neon Studio’s comedy-horror film The Monkey, based on a Stephen King story, at US$3.9 million.
Theo James, Rohan Campbell and Elijah Wood star in the tale of a toy wind-up monkey which has a homicidal gleam in its eye.
In fifth was Sony and Columbia’s Paddington in Peru, about the lovable red-hatted teddy bear, at US$3.85 million.
It was a notably slow theatrical weekend, coming just a week after Oscar-winning director Sean Baker (Anora) made an impassioned plea at the Academy Awards ceremony for people to support the big-screen experience.
But analyst Paul Dergarabedian of Comscore said: “That is the rollercoaster that is the box office. It will come back.”
Rounding out the top 10 were: Dog Man (US$3.5 million); Anora (US$1.9 million); Mufasa: The Lion King (US$1.7 million); Rule Breakers (US$1.6 million); and In the Lost Lands (US$1 million). AFP
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