Computer-animated martial arts film Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, the 21st in the Japanese franchise, seized control of the North American box office this weekend with an estimated take of $20.1 million, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday.
That impressive result for the film from Crunchyroll, which called it the best global opening ever for an anime movie, proved a bright spot in a tepid August, easily outshining the $11.6 million take of another new release, Universal’s Beast.
“This is another outstanding Crunchyroll anime opening,” said analyst David A Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. He said Crunchyroll, 95 percent owned by Sony, now “dominates the genre.”
Gross rated Beast, meantime, as having only a “fair opening” for the Friday-through-Sunday period — at least “for an action-adventure film featuring a beast.”
The beast, in this case, is a huge rogue lion that pursues a recently widowed man (Idris Elba) and his daughters when they go on safari. Iceland’s Baltasar Kormakur directs.
Sony’s action-thriller Bullet Train, which topped the box office the last two weekends, slid to third at $8 million. Brad Pitt plays a paid assassin on a train seemingly loaded with them.
In fourth was the still high-flying Top Gun: Maverick, which took in a substantial $5.9 million in its 13th week out. The Tom Cruise vehicle has pulled in $683 million domestically and $703 million overseas.
And in fifth, down three spots from last weekend, was Warner Bros.’s animation DC League of Super-Pets at $5.8 million.
