Sully, the kind of adult-oriented, mid-budget drama that is not supposed to succeed in theatres anymore, at least if you listen to franchise-obsessed studio executives, soared at the box office over the weekend.
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Movie-goers MAY remember 2009’s “Miracle on the Hudson” where Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger is credited with saving passengers and crew from a far worse fate.
The previous box office standout, Don’t Breathe, was dethroned from its top spot in its third week in theaters.
The new film “Sully” dominated the box office race this weekend, debuting with $35.5 million in ticket sales in the US and Canada, according to figures on Monday. The film took flight with $35.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday, surpassing expectations by around $10 million. As if somehow the movie’s name was prophetic, the Kate Beckinsale vehicle earned just $1.4 million despite a wide release in over 1,500 venues.
The figures certainly seem to bear this out, as according to distributers Warner Bros an estimated 80 per cent of those who turned out this weekend were over the age of 35. “If Tom Hanks ran for president, he’d win”, Dergarabedian says.
The Warner Bros film cost a reported $60m to produce and is the first to be shot entirely with Imax cameras: the 375 Imax US screens accounted for about $4m of the total this weekend.
The Regina Hall and Moris Chesnut-led thriller opens in the runner-up spot with an estimated $15 million.
The superhero film, which has the twist of making villains the main characters, has now made more than $307 million in North America alone. The animated feature The Wild Life has banked little more than $20 million during a whirlwind late summer tour around the world, and only added $3 million during its fifth place domestic debut weekend.
Overseas, Sully took $9.5-M from its first 39 markets for a worldwide start of $45-M.
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Don’t Breathe stayed in the top five this week, coming in at No. 3 for the weekend with $8.2 million. Finally, though sliding five places to tenth, Sausage Party is still a big victor, with an estimated $2.3 million adding to $93.2 million in domestic earnings. It collected a muted $15 million.
