‘X-Men’ gang towers over N. America holiday box office
LOS ANGELES – The superhero mutants from the blockbuster “X-Men” franchise fought their way to the top of North America’s box office over one of the biggest US film-going holidays, industry estimates showed Sunday.
“X-Men: Days of Future Past,” a time-bending movie already a hit with critics, debuted with an estimated $110 million including the Monday Memorial Day holiday, which is the unofficial kick-off of the summer movie season.
The star-studded cast includes Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Michael Fassbender and Halle Berry.
Rounding out a mutant-monster weekend was “Godzilla,” featuring “Breaking Bad” star Bryan Cranston as a tortured Japanese-speaking scientist battling to save humanity.
The film raked in $38.5 million including Memorial Day, according to tracker Exhibitor Relations.
Article continues after this advertisementMeanwhile, romantic comedy “Blended,” featuring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, opened over the weekend in third place, with $18 million including the holiday.
Article continues after this advertisement“Neighbors” starring Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne as a couple living next door to a raucous fraternity house, earned a fourth-place ranking with slightly less than $17.8 million over the long weekend.
In fifth place was another comic-book favorite, “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” which fell from third place last week, earning $10 million including Monday.
“Million Dollar Arm” which stars Jon Hamm and tells the true story of a Major League Baseball agent who goes to India to find the next big thing among cricket players, came in sixth place, pulling in $8.9 million with Memorial Day ticket sales.
Sliding to seventh was “The Other Woman,” a romantic comedy starring Cameron Diaz, with $4.6 million over the four-day period.
Animated flick “Rio 2” fell one place to eighth, taking in $3.4 million including Monday.
The movie only barely overtook foodie flick “Chef,” the story of a fictional celebrity chef who decides to embark on a food-truck adventure, which estimates showed would bring in $2.9 million.
Rounding out the top ten was “Heaven Is for Real,” starring Greg Kinnear as the father of a four-year-old boy who wakes up from emergency surgery with a story about going to heaven and back, with estimated ticket sales falling around $2.6 million for the four-day period.