‘Ocean’s 8’ bumps ‘Solo’ and tops male-led ‘Oceans’ openings; ‘Hereditary’ scares up big weekend

“Ocean’s 8,” Warner Bros.’ highly anticipated, woman-led reboot of the successful “Ocean’s” heist franchise, debuted in first place with $41.5 million, above analysts’ predictions of $35 million, according to figures from measurement firm ComScore. It was the best-ever opening for any of the films in the franchise, handily beating the previous leader, 2004’s “Ocean’s Twelve,” which posted $39.1 million in its opening weekend before going on to gross $125.5 million in the U.S. and Canada.

”We’re proud of the movie,” said Jeff Goldstein, the studio’s distribution chief. “These actors did a tremendous job telling a fun story going after a very specific demographic, females, an audience that is often underserved.”

Released more than a decade after the male-centered “Ocean’s Thirteen,” led by George Clooney, the latest entry cost an estimated $70 million to make and stars Sandra Bullock as the sister of Danny Ocean. She assembles a skilled crime crew (Sarah Paulson, Cate Blanchett, Mindy Kaling, Helena Bonham Carter, Awkwafina and Rihanna) to pull off a high-stakes theft at New York’s annual Met Gala involving an actress played by Anne Hathaway.

“When you look at these eight actresses in prime roles, on their own they’re spectacular,” Goldstein said. “But when you put them together they’re really extraordinary.”

It earned a B+ rating on CinemaScore and a 67% “fresh” rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.

In second place, Disney’s “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” now in its third week, added $15.1 million in ticket sales for a cumulative $176.1 million.

Fox’s “Deadpool 2” came in at No. 3, adding $13.6 million in its fourth weekend for a cumulative $278.6 million.

A24’s psychological horror film “Hereditary” opened in fourth place with $13 million (well above analysts’ predictions of $5 million to $9 million), the biggest opening ever for the studio as well as its widest release to date. It’s also a film that has elicited divided reactions from audiences.

“Hereditary,” which stars Toni Collette as a mother of two whose life spins out of control after the death of her estranged mother, made a splash at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, but scored a D+ CinemaScore rating. Yet it also received a 93% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has moviegoers on social media arguing over its merits. Many say it is the scariest film they’ve ever seen and some are already calling for an Oscar nomination for Collette, while others say the hype is overblown.

Rounding out the top five, Disney’s “Avengers: Infinity War,” now in its seventh weekend, added $6.8 million for a cumulative $654.7 million.

Also new this week, Global Road Entertainment’s “Hotel Artemis” debuted at No. 8 with $3.1 million, below analysts’ predictions of $5 million to $9 million.

The action-thriller stars Jodie Foster as a nurse who runs a secret hospital for criminals. Despite a star-studded cast that includes Sterling K. Brown, Sofia Boutella, Dave Bautista, Jeff Goldblum and Brian Tyree Henry, the film bombed both financially and critically with a C- rating on CinemaScore and a 58% “rotten” score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Focus Features’ Mr. Rogers documentary “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” opened in 29 locations with $470,000, a solid per-screen average of $16,168. The PG-13 film, directed by Morgan Neville, currently boasts a 99% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Magnolia Pictures’ Ruth Bader Ginsburg doc, “RBG,” continues to perform well, adding $700,000 in its sixth weekend, for a North American cumulative of $9.1 million.

Although it’s not scheduled to open domestically until June 22, “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” is off to an oversized start internationally. The latest in Universal’s “Jurassic Park” franchise opened in first place in 48 international markets with $151.1 million.

Next week, Buena Vista premieres the highly anticipated “Incredibles 2,” Yash Raj opens the action flick “Race 3” and Warner Bros. drops the comedy “Tag.”

ALSO

‘Hereditary’ is a new horror classic, and a triumph for Toni Collette

How Toni Collette’s turn in the year’s scariest film lends ‘Hereditary’ its terrifying power

Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett pull off an enjoyable, low-fizz heist in ‘Ocean’s 8’

‘Ocean’s 8’s’ Helena Bonham Carter says it’s about time she did a heist film

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UPDATES:

1:25 p.m.: This article has been updated with comments by Jeff Goldstein.

This story was originally published at 10:25 a.m.