Predator: Badlands, the latest installment in the sci-fi horror franchise that began nearly four decades ago, devoured the competition at the North American box office, opening with $40 million, industry estimates showed Sunday.
The 20th Century Studios film stars Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as an outcast Predator who becomes the hero, teaming up with an android played by Elle Fanning on a journey to prove himself.
It is the ninth entry in the franchise launched in 1987 with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the lead role.
In second place was Paramount’s Regretting You, the latest adaptation of a Colleen Hoover novel, which took in $7.1 million over the Friday-to-Sunday period, Exhibitor Relations reported.
Directed by Josh Boone, the romantic drama follows a mother, played by Allison Williams, and her teenage daughter, played by McKenna Grace, as they deal with life and love after tragedy.
Universal’s horror sequel Black Phone 2, again starring Ethan Hawke as a menacing villain, placed third with $5.3 million in ticket sales in the United States and Canada.
Debuting in fourth place was Sarah’s Oil, MGM’s faith-based drama inspired by history, about a young Black girl in early 20th-century Oklahoma who inherits land she believes is rich in oil. It earned $4.5 million.
Fifth place went to Sony’s Nuremberg, which recounts the postwar Nazi trials with a focus on Hermann Goering, Hitler’s right-hand man. The film earned $4.1 million.
Russell Crowe’s portrayal of the Luftwaffe commander has generated early Oscars buzz.
Rounding out the top 10 were Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc with $3.6 million; Bugonia with $3.5 million; Die My Love with $2.8 million; Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere with $2.2 million; and Tron: Ares with $1.8 million. AFP
