By Jake Coyle, Film Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --The Stephen King adaption "It" continues to scare up record ticket sales, taking in an estimated $60 million in its second week and leaving a paltry $7.5 million for Darren Aronofsky's audacious genre-bending psychological thriller "mother!"
New Line and Warner Bros.' "It" remained easily the top draw in North American theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday. It slid 51 percent from last week's unexpectedly sensational opening of $123 million, the first September release to debut north of $100 million. Most had expected "It" to open to about half that.
With $218.7 million to date, "It" is now the highest grossing September release ever, and a much-needed hit to follow a summer box office that slumped to a historically bad August. "It," starring Bill Skarsgard as the evil clown Pennywise, also added $60.3 million internationally.
Paramount Pictures' "mother!" has horror elements, too, so it was risky to schedule it right behind "It." But Aronofsky's film is a more art-house proposition, made for about $30 million. For star Jennifer Lawrence, it's the worst wide-release opening of her career.
Reviews were generally good (68 percent "fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes) for "mother!," which premiered last week at the Venice Film Festival. But the film — an intense, allegorical tale about a woman (Lawrence) whose rural Victorian house is overrun by unwanted house guests — is an undeniably atypical, auteur-driven studio release. Audiences didn't care for it, giving it a seldom-seen F CinemaScore.
"Admittedly, there are audiences who aren't responding as favorably, but I think it's one of those movies that's so different and so audacious," said Kyle Davies, president of domestic distribution for Paramount. "Darren's one of the most dynamic filmmakers out there today. So the movie is really getting a strong reaction and I think it takes people a while to process the movie."
Aronofsky, the filmmaker of "Black Swan" and "The Wrestler," previously helmed the Paramount 2014 release "Noah." The Bible epic sailed through controversy to make $362.6 million worldwide.
More than most of its rivals, Paramount has backed a number of daring films from acclaimed filmmakers, including Martin Scorsese's little-seen "Silence" and upcoming films from Alexander Payne ("Downsizing") and George Clooney ("Suburbicon") — both of which also debuted in Venice.
Whether that will continue after disappointing box-office results remains to be seen. In April, former Fox chief Jim Gianopulos took over as chairman and chief executive at Paramount after the departure of Brad Grey. Motion Picture Group President Marc Evans is also stepping down.
The counterterrorism thriller "American Assassin," from Lionsgate and CBS Films, edged out "mother!" for second place with $14.8 million. That was a solid result for the film starring Dylan O'Brien and Michael Keaton.
In limited release, the Mike White-directed comedy "Brad's Status," starring Ben Stiller, opened in four theaters with a good per-screen average of $25,045. Annapurna will expand the film in coming weeks.
One of the summer's box office weakly performing sequels also found a modicum of redemption. Two months after its North American release, Fox's "War for the Planet of the Apes" opened in China with $62.3 million. That marks not only the studio's best debut in China but also sends Matt Reeves' "Planet of the Apes" sequel toward a more gorilla-sized global haul of $432 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers also are included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. "It," $60 million ($60.3 million international).
2. "American Assassin," $14.8 million ($6.2 million international).
3. "mother!" $7.5 million ($6 million international).
4. "Home Again," $5.3 million.
5. "The Hitman's Bodyguard," $3.6 million ($4.1 million international).
6. "Annabelle: Creation," $2.6 million ($4.1. million international).
7. "Wind River," $2.5 million ($1 million international).
8. "Leap!" $2.1 million.
9. "Spider-Man: Homecoming," $1.9 million ($15.1 million international).
10. "Dunkirk," $1.3 million ($5.7 million international).
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada), according to comScore
1. "War for the Planet of the Apes," $63.2 million.
2. "It," $60.3 million.
3. "Spider-Man: Homecoming," $15.1 million.
4. "American Made," $12 million.
5. "American Assassin," $6.2 million.
6. "Sword Art Online the Movie," $6.1 million.
7. "Cars 3," $6 million.
8. "mother!" $6 million.
9. "Dunkirk," $5.7 million.
10. "Baby Driver," $5.1 million.
“Heretic” and “Maria” Set As Red Carpet Premieres At AFI Fest
The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced that Heretic, the psychological thriller starring Hugh Grant, and Maria, based on the life of opera singer Maria Callas starring Angelina Jolie, will round out the Red Carpet Premieres section at this year’s AFI Fest. The Heretic Gala Screening will take place on Thursday, October 24, and the Maria Gala Screening will be held on Saturday, October 26. The complete Red Carpet Premieres section includes the world premieres of Music By John Williams, Robert Zemeckis’ Here, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2. All Red Carpet Premieres will take place at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. The full lineup for AFI Fest 2024 will be unveiled on October 1.
“At the heart of AFI Fest is an unwavering dedication to celebrating the best in global cinema--together,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO. “We look forward to uniting artists and audiences once again to be inspired by the art form in a powerful sense of community.”
Heretic follows two young missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (portrayed by Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse. The film is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods and produced by Stacey Sher, Beck, Woods, Julia Glausi and Jeanette Volturno. The film will be released nationwide by A24 on November 8.
Directed by Pablo Larraín, Maria presents a tumultuous and beautiful depiction of one of the world’s most renowned artists and reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days in Paris, as Callas (Jolie)... Read More