‘Dumbo’ tops the box office despite a softer than expected opening

Disney’s live-action “Dumbo” remake managed to unseat Universal’s “Us” from the top of the box office this weekend, despite the film’s soft opening.

“Dumbo,” which comes 78 years after the beloved animated original, opened with $45 million, below analyst projections of $50 million to $58 million, according to estimates from measurement firm Comscore.

The film earned mixed reviews from audiences and critics with an A- CinemaScore and a 50% rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.

Directed by Tim Burton, who remade “Alice in Wonderland” into a live-action blockbuster for the studio in 2010, the film is nearly twice as long as the 1941 original and cost an estimated $170 million to make.

Its opening numbers pale in comparison to similar live-action Disney fare like “Beauty and the Beast,” which opened with $174.7 million in 2017, and “The Jungle Book.” which debuted with $103.3 million the previous year. This year, Disney will also release live-action re-imaginings of “Aladdin” and “The Lion King,” as well as a “Maleficent” sequel.

At No. 2, “Us” added $33.6 million in its second weekend, a 53% decline, for a cumulative $128.2 million. Globally, it earned $56.2 million this weekend for a cumulative $174.5 million.

Horror films typically drop by 60% in their second weekend, but director Jordan Peele has established himself as a filmmaker to watch following 2017’s “Get Out” and, now, “Us.” Strong word-of-mouth praise and positive critical reviews have also bolstered the film’s box office success.

Now in its fourth week, Disney’s “Captain Marvel” landed at No. 3 with $20.5 million for a cumulative $353.8 million. It earned $46.9 million globally for a cumulative $990.6 million and will likely cross the $1-billion mark by next weekend. It currently stands as the No. 10 global superhero release of all time.

In fourth place, CBS Films and Lionsgate’s “Five Feet Apart” added $6.3 million in its third weekend for a cumulative $35.9 million.

Rounding out the top five, PureFlix’s “Unplanned” premiered with $6.1 million. The anti-abortion drama follows a Planned Parenthood clinic director who becomes an anti-abortion activist. It earned a 53% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Also new this week, Neon’s “The Beach Bum” landed at No. 10 with $1.8 million. The film stars Matthew McConaughey and was written and directed by Harmony Korine (“Spring Breakers”). It earned a 52% Rotten Tomatoes rating.

This week, STX Entertainment opens the drama “The Best of Enemies,” Paramount reveals its “Pet Sematary” remake, and Warner Bros. debuts the superhero film “Shazam!”

In limited release, Neon premieres the Aretha Franklin documentary “Amazing Grace” and Greenwich Entertainment opens “The Public.”

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