By Jake Coyle, Film Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --Disney's "The Jungle Book" trounced a handful of underperforming new releases to rule the box office for a third consecutive week, while next week's certain champ, "Captain America: Civil War," began setting records overseas.
Jon Favreau's live-action Rudyard Kipling adaptation earned $42.4 million in its third week at North American theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday. One of the year's biggest hits, "The Jungle Book" has now totaled $684.8 million globally.
The weekend's debuts withered under the stampede of "The Jungle Book."
Keegen-Michael Key and Jordan Peele's feline action-comedy "Keanu" opened with a modest $9.4 million. That was a whisker behind "The Huntsman: Winter's War," which limped its way to $9.4 million in its second disappointing week of release.
Warner Bros.' R-rated "Keanu," from the former Comedy Central stars of "Key and Peele," cost only about $15 million to make. In it, they play Los Angeles cousins who are led into a criminal underworld in their search for a lost cat.
Garry Marshall's latest holiday-themed romantic comedy, "Mother's Day," bowed with a weak $8.3 million despite the presence of stars Jennifer Aniston and Julia Roberts. Though Marshall's "Valentine's Day" opened with $56.2 million in 2010, audiences have since been less enthusiastic for his poorly reviewed Hallmark card ensembles. "Mother's Day," released by Open Road, even trails the $13 million opening of 2011's "New Year's Eve."
The video-game adaption "Ratchet & Clank," from Focus Features, made even less of a dent with an estimated $4.8 million.
With "Captain America: Civil War" opening next weekend in North America, the box office was largely in a holding pattern, waiting for Marvel to effectively launch the summer movie season. "Civil War" gave a preview of its might in 37 international territories over the weekend, taking in an estimated $200.2 million. That includes record openings in Mexico, Brazil and the Philippines for the film some expect to be the year's biggest hit.
Once it lands, Disney will have accounted for three of the top five movies of the year, along with "The Jungle Book" and "Zootopia."
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. "The Jungle Book," $42.4 million ($57.1 million international).
2. "The Huntsman: Winter's War," $9.4 million.
3. "Keanu," $9.4 million.
4. "Mother's Day," $8.3 million ($2.1 million international).
5. "Barber Shop: The Next Cut," $6.1 million.
6. "Zootopia," $5 million ($8.3 million international).
7. "Ratchet & Clank," $4.8 million.
8. "The Boss," $4.2 million.
9. "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," $3.8 million ($2.8 million international).
10. "Criminal," $1.3 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada), according to comScore:
1. "Captain America: Civil War," $200.2 million.
2. "The Jungle Book," $57.1 million.
3. "Finding Mr. Right," $51 million.
4. "Zootopia," $8.3 million.
5. "MBA Partners," $7.5 million.
6. "The Huntsman: Winter's War," $7.4 million.
7. "Phantom of the Theater," $7 million.
8. "Kung Fu Panda 3," $3.1 million.
9. "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," $2.8 million.
10. "Xuan Zang," $2.4 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