ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

'Space Jam' dunks on 'Black Widow' to take box office No. 1

Share

"Black Widow" ceded its No. 1 spot to an unlikely foe in its second week in theatres: The Tune Squad.

 

LeBron James, Bugs Bunny and the rest of the stars of Warner Bros.' "Space Jam: A New Legacy" defied expectations and won the box office this weekend. According to studio estimates Sunday, "Space Jam: A New Legacy" grossed US$31.7 million in North America, while "Black Widow" took in $26.3 million.

Not many expected "Space Jam: A New Legacy" to pull off this win. The poorly reviewed film was pegged for an opening in the $20 million range. But a sizable number of families and millennials who grew up with the original "Space Jam" left the house and went to a theater to see it, even though it's currently streaming on HBO Max free for subscribers. Not only that, audiences also gave the film a promising A- CinemaScore, suggesting word of mouth could be strong.

"Space Jam: A New Legacy" is the largest pandemic opening for Warner Bros., which is significant since the studio in 2021 is releasing all its films simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max.

It's also the largest domestic opening for a family film since the beginning of the pandemic. Warner Bros. said 32% of the audience was under 18, which is larger than usual. Most of the major family films that have come out during the pandemic -- from "The Boss Baby: Family Business" to "Raya and the Last Dragon" -- have opened well under $20 million. But audiences of all ages turned out for the new "Space Jam."

"It shows that families have waited for a movie that everyone can go to and that's this movie," said Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros.' head of domestic distribution. "It's just a fun movie for the family."

Last weekend, "Black Widow" became the highest grossing film of the pandemic. Disney also surprised many in the industry by revealing its first weekend profits from the movie's streaming rentals. Rental grosses were not provided this week, however.

This weekend also saw the launch of "Escape Room: Tournament of Champions," a sequel to the high-concept 2019 film. Sony is projecting that the film will gross $8.8 million over the weekend, which is actually better than the first film's debut and in line with studio expectations.

"F9" took fourth place with $7.6 million. The "Fast & Furious" film has made $591.2 million globally to date. The fifth and sixth place spots also went to Universal films: "The Boss Baby: Family Business" with $4.7 million and "The Forever Purge," with $4.1 million.

"A Quiet Place Part II," which recently became available on Paramount+, is still doing good numbers into its eighth week in theaters. It added another $2.3 million, bringing its domestic total to $155 million.

The Anthony Bourdain documentary "Roadrunner" also did well this weekend, grossing around $1.9 million from 925 theaters, making it the top grossing specialty debut of the year.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. "Space Jam: A New Legacy," $31.7 million.

2. "Black Widow," $26.3 million.

3. "Escape Room: Tournaments of Champions," $8.8 million.

4. "F9," $7.6 million.

5. "The Boss Baby: The Family Business," $4.7 million.

6. "The Forever Purge," $4.2 million.

7. "A Quiet Place Part II," $2.3 million.

8. "Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain," $1.9 million.

9. "Cruella," $1.1 million.

10. "Pig," $945,000.

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.

Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.

The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

Advocates have identified the woman who died this week after being shot by police in Surrey, B.C., as a South American refugee who was raising a young daughter.

Provincial police investigating the death of a cat that was allegedly set on fire in Orillia earlier this week released surveillance video of a person of interest in the case.

Local Spotlight

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.