Film  

Scary space movie dethrones funny space movie at US box offices

By AFP

22 May 2017   |   4:08 am

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In a battle of space films, Ridley Scott's new release "Alien: Covenant" narrowly beat out the popular "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" on North American screens this weekend, according to industry estimates.

Alien: Covenant

In a battle of space films, Ridley Scott’s new release “Alien: Covenant” narrowly beat out the popular “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” on North American screens this weekend, according to industry estimates.

“Alien,” the sixth installment in a lucrative franchise, took in $36 million for the three-day weekend, edging past the $35.1 million logged by Disney’s “Guardians” in its third week, according to specialized site Exhibitor Relations.

The Fox/Scott Free Productions stars Michael Fassbinder, Katherine Waterston and Bill Crudup in a tense yarn about the crew of space ship Covenant landing on a planet that seems idyllic — until terrifying aliens attack.

“Guardians,” a lighthearted Disney flick about a band of misfit space adventurers played by Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel, showed continued strength, surpassing $300 million in domestic ticket sales to date.

In third place was new release “Everything, Everything,” a Warner Bros. romantic drama about a young woman (Amandla Stenberg) who must spend her life indoors in a sterile environment due to a genetic disorder. But after falling in love with a neighbor (Nick Robinson), she begins doubting her diagnosis. The film took in $12 million from a largely young and female audience, website BoxOfficeMojo reported.

Next was “Snatched” from Fox, starring Goldie Hawn and Amy Schumer as a mother and daughter on a wild jungle adventure. Its weekend take was $7.6 million.

In fifth was another Fox film, newly released “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul” — the latest in the popular series after a five-year hiatus — with $7.2 million. The film stars Jason Drucker as long-suffering 12-year-old Greg, whose mother (Alicia Silverstone) drags the family along on a road trip to Grandma’s 90th birthday celebration.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

“King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” ($6.9 million)

“The Fate of the Furious” ($3.2 million)

“The Boss Baby” ($2.8 million)

“Beauty and the Beast” ($2.4 million); the film is now in the all-time top-10 worldwide.

“How to Be a Latin Lover” ($2.2 million)