‘Now You See Me’ sequel steals North American box office win

[LOS ANGELES] Now You See Me: Now You Don’t - the third instalment in the crime heist franchise about a group of magicians - debuted atop the North American box office, besting the Glen Powell-fronted remake of The Running Man, industry estimates showed on Sunday.

Lionsgate’s Now You See Me - which reunites Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco and Woody Harrelson as Robin Hood-style illusionists targeting dangerous criminals - raked in US$21.3 million from Friday to Sunday, Exhibitor Relations said.

This time out, the original Four Horsemen - who first appeared on screen in 2013 - are joined by three younger magicians: Ariana Greenblatt, Dominic Sessa and Justice Smith.

“There aren’t a lot of crime heist series that get to episode 3, simply because it’s so hard to keep these stories fresh,” said analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.

“It’s serialised storytelling and there’s good material like this on TV. Still, these characters are connecting - these are very good figures.”

Paramount’s The Running Man, a new take on Stephen King’s dystopian novel about a murderous game show, opened in second place with US$17 million in ticket sales in the United States and Canada.

It comes 38 years after a loose adaptation starring Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1987.

“That’s a long time, and the storyline is showing some wear,” Gross said.

Predator: Badlands from Disney’s 20th Century Studios dropped from first to third place, taking in US$13 million.

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Paramount’s Regretting You, the latest film adaptation of a Colleen Hoover romantic novel, came in fourth at US$4 million.

And Universal’s horror sequel Black Phone 2, once again starring Ethan Hawke as a devilish villain, came in fifth place at US$2.7 million.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

Nuremberg (US$2.6 million)

Keeper (US$2.5 million)

Sarah’s Oil (US$2.3 million)

Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc (US$1.6 million)

Bugonia (US$1.6 million). AFP