By Lindsey Bahr, Film Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --Not all reboots are created equal.
This weekend at the box office, nostalgia-driven fare was everywhere, from "Beauty and the Beast" to "Power Rangers" and "CHIPS," producing both successful and underwhelming results.
On the high end, Disney's live-action "Beauty and the Beast" continued enchanting audiences in its second weekend in theaters, easily topping the charts with $88.3 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. On the low end, Warner Bros.' raunchy, R-rated "CHIPS" debuted in seventh place with $7.6 million.
In the middle was Lionsgate's "Power Rangers," which earned a solid $40.5 million to grab the No. 2 spot. The PG-13 take on the campy 1990s television show tells the origin story of the Power Rangers with a diverse teenage cast of relative newcomers.
Its audiences were 60 percent male, while "Beauty and the Beast" crowds remained largely female. The divide allowed both to succeed in the crowded marketplace.
"Power Rangers" didn't get the best reviews, but audiences gave it a promising A CinemaScore, suggesting that it might have staying power in the coming weeks.
"CHIPS," on the other hand, underwhelmed audiences, critics and the studio. Dax Shepard wrote, directed and starred in the action comedy based on the 1970s and '80s TV show about the California Highway Patrol.
Costing $25 million to produce, "CHIPS" wasn't the biggest risk, but its $7.6 million debut disappointed. The film also got a deathly B- CinemaScore from audiences.
"Brand recognition will get you far – it gives you a leg up before you even start – but at the end of the day, it comes down to the movie itself," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comScore. "No matter how much brand equity they have with a particular title, the real test is: How do critics and audiences respond to that film?
"You still have to deliver a solid movie that will entice people to spend their hard-earned money to go see something that they already know, or already know about," he said.
That's where Disney has succeeded, with its latest remake earning $317 million in just 10 days in North American theaters and $690.3 million worldwide.
"With 'Beauty and the Beast' there have been decades of goodwill and the Disney brand and so many more elements going into it than just the intellectual property," Dergarabedian said. "Disney makes it look easy. Others have had more challenges."
Also this weekend, the sci-fi thriller "Life" failed to connect with audiences, debuting in fourth place with $12.6 million behind holdover "Kong: Skull Island" with $14.4 million.
The R-rated space film stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds as astronauts who discover that the alien life form they have brought on board might be dangerous. With a $58 million price tag, Sony and Skydance's "Life" has a long journey to profitability.
Dergarabedian said that part of the reason for its muted launch might be that recent space films, such as "Passengers" and "Arrival," are available for home viewing. The much-anticipated "Alien: Covenant" and "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" also are on the horizon.
Despite some flops, the March 2017 box office, which crossed $1 billion this weekend, has become the biggest March of all time, with help from the strength of "Logan," ''Kong: Skull Island," ''Get Out" and "Beauty and the Beast."
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1."Beauty and the Beast," $88.3 million ($119.2 million international).
2."Power Rangers," $40.5 million ($18.7 million international).
3."Kong: Skull Island," $14.4 million ($93 million international).
4."Life," $12.6 million ($16.1 million international).
5."Logan," $10.1 million ($12.1 million international).
6."Get Out," $8.7 million ($2.2 million international).
7."CHIPS," $7.6 million ($1.9 million international).
8."The Shack,"$3.8 million.
9."The Lego Batman Movie," $2 million ($1.2 million international).
10."The Belko Experiment," $1.8 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada), according to comScore:
1. "Beauty and the Beast," $119.2 million.
2. "Kong: Skull Island," $93 million.
3. "Power Rangers," $18.7 million.
4. "The Boss Baby," $16.3 million.
5. "Life," $16.1 million.
6. "Logan," $12.1 million.
7. "The Prison," $8.3 million.
8. "Split," $5.2 million.
9. "Sing," $4.6 million.
10. "A Dog's Purpose," $4.1 million.
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More