By Jake Coyle, Film Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --Ghost busting is still a good business.
"Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" collected $45.2 million in ticket sales over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday, handing Sony Pictures the studio's first No. 1 film since last summer.
The opening weekend for "Frozen Empire," in 4,345 theaters, was nearly exactly the same as the $44 million launch for "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" in 2021. "Afterlife" rebooted the franchise with a sequel built around the descendants (Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace) of Harold Ramis' Egon Spengler, along with Paul Rudd's seismologist Gary Grooberson.
Neither film has been a hit with critics, but audiences have been more receptive. "Frozen Empire" garnered a B+ CinemaScore from moviegoers, a tick down from the A- score for "Afterlife." "Frozen Empire" isn't assured of profitability, but it will hope for sustained business over spring break.
"Ghostbusters" films tend to make a low impact internationally. In 25 overseas markets, "Frozen Empire" added $16.4 million.
The latest "Ghostbusters" cost about $100 million to make. After Jason Reitman took over directing duties from his father, Ivan Reitman, to helm "Ghostbusters: Afterlife," "Frozen Empire" is directed by Gil Kenan, co-writer of "Afterlife."
Those two sequels took "Ghostbusters" in a more family-oriented, albeit PG-13 rated, direction, with original cast members Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and Bill Murray returning in supporting roles. After the 2016 female-led "Ghostbusters" prompted a backlash, Sony rebooted the franchise.
The weekend's other new wide release was "Immaculate," the horror film starring Sydney Sweeney as an American nun at a remote Italian convent. The film, released by Neon following a premiere at SXSW, debuted with $5.4 million on 2,354 screens. Sweeney's ascending star power helped make "Anyone But You" one of the most successful rom-coms in years. But "Immaculate," an independent production that cost less than $10 million make, isn't getting the same bounce.
"The movie features the popular Sydney Sweeney, but horror movies are not cast-driven," wrote David A. Gross for the consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. "They're driven by the hook: the evil doll, the wicked smile, the invisible or silent presence, the found footage, the possessed child. That's what terrifies the horror crowd. The hook is not completely clear here."
The No. 2 spot went to "Dune: Part Two," which continues to hold well. The Denis Villeneuve-directed sci-fi sequel starring Timothée Chalamet added $17.6 million in its fourth weekend of release, bringing the Warner Bros. release's domestic total to $233.4 million. Overseas sales are just as strong, adding up to a $574.4 million worldwide haul.
After two weeks atop the box office, Universal's "Kung Fu Panda 4" slid to third place with $16.8 million over its third weekend. The well-performing
DreamWorks animated sequel is up to $133.2 million domestic. It debuted with $25.7 million in China, where the movies have historically been popular.
When the 2008 "Kung Fu Panda" was released, its success partly inspired China to expand its own film production.
Estimated ticket sales are for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire," $45.2 million.
2. "Dune: Part Two," $17.6 million.
3. "Kung Fu Panda 4," $16.8 million.
4. "Immaculate," $5.4 million.
5. "Arthur the King," $4.4 million.
6. "Late Night With the Devil," $2.8 million.
7. "Imaginary," $2.8 million.
8. "Love Lies Bleeding," $1.6 million.
9. "Cabrini," $1.4 million.
10. "Bob Marley: One Love," $1.1 million.
Google Opens Its Defense In Antitrust Case Alleging Monopoly Over Online Ad Technology
Google opened its defense against allegations that it holds an illegal monopoly on online advertising technology Friday with witness testimony saying the industry is vastly more complex and competitive than portrayed by the federal government.
"The industry has been exceptionally fluid over the last 18 years," said Scott Sheffer, a vice president for global partnerships at Google, the company's first witness at its antitrust trial in federal court in Alexandria.
The Justice Department and a coalition of states contend that Google built and maintained an illegal monopoly over the technology that facilitates the buying and selling of online ads seen by consumers.
Google counters that the government's case improperly focuses on a narrow type of online ads — essentially the rectangular ones that appear on the top and on the right-hand side of a webpage. In its opening statement, Google's lawyers said the Supreme Court has warned judges against taking action when dealing with rapidly emerging technology like what Sheffer described because of the risk of error or unintended consequences.
Google says defining the market so narrowly ignores the competition it faces from social media companies, Amazon, streaming TV providers and others who offer advertisers the means to reach online consumers.
Justice Department lawyers called witnesses to testify for two weeks before resting their case Friday afternoon, detailing the ways that automated ad exchanges conduct auctions in a matter of milliseconds to determine which ads are placed in front of which consumers and how much they cost.
The department contends the auctions are finessed in subtle ways that benefit Google to the exclusion of would-be competitors and in ways that prevent... Read More