‘Deadpool’ upends competition at N. America box office
This image released by Twentieth Century Fox shows Ryan Reyonlds in a scene from the film, “Deadpool.” Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp. via AP FILE PHOTO
LOS ANGELES, United States—Superhero movie “Deadpool” throttled its competitors at the North American box office for a second weekend, taking in $56.5 million, well ahead of the other top earners, industry figures showed Monday.
READ: ‘Deadpool’ blasts N. America box office records
The film, which stars Ryan Reynolds as a foul-mouthed Marvel anti-hero, has raked in a total of $236.9 million—the fastest rise of any R-rated movie in history—after shattering records for February when it debuted last weekend.
READ: Irreverent, insufferable antihero in ‘Deadpool’
Far behind in second place was “Kung Fu Panda 3″—Dreamworks’ computer-animated comedy that follows the adventures of Po as he evolves from martial arts student to teacher—which took in $12.5 million, industry tracker Exhibitor Relations said.
Featuring the voices of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman and Angelina Jolie, it has garnered $117.1 million in the four weeks since its release.
Sony’s Biblical resurrection tale “Risen” debuted in third place with $11.8 million. Directed by Kevin Reynolds, the film stars Joseph Fiennes, who plays a Roman army officer investigating the mysterious disappearance of Jesus’s body.
“The Witch” also debuted this weekend, coming in fourth with earnings of $8.8 million. Opening a year after it caused a splash at the Sundance Film Festival, the horror film follows a Puritan family battling evil in 17th-century New England.
“How to be Single,” a comedy about solo life set in New York City starring Dakota Johnson, Rebel Wilson and Leslie Mann, came in fifth during its second weekend with projected sales of $8.2 million.
Rounding out the rest of the top 10 were:
— “Race,” $7.4 million
— “Zoolander 2,” $5.5 million
— “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” $3.9 million
— “The Revenant,” $3.87 million
— “Hail, Caesar!” $2.7 million
