By Derrik J. Lang, Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --"Blair Witch," ''Bridget Jones's Baby" and "Snowden" didn't ground "Sully" at the weekend box office.
The Warner Bros. dramatization of the Miracle on the Hudson directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Tom Hanks as Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger remained at No. 1 for the second week with $22 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The film tells the story of Sullenberger's emergency landing of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River in 2009 and the subsequent National Transportation Safety Board investigation.
A trio of newcomers failed to fly close to the haul earned by "Sully," which stands at $70.5 million after two weeks.
Lionsgate's horror revival "Blair Witch" nabbed $9.7 million at No. 2, while the Working Title Films comedy "Bridget Jones's Baby" with Renee Zellweger again starring as the titular character crawled away with $8.2 million.
"We always think just because something has a recognizable brand name that it'll automatically be a hit with audiences, but that's not always the case," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for box office tracker comScore.
"Bridget Jones's Baby" fared better overseas, where the third film in the film series starring Zellweger as the goofy British singleton from Helen Fielding's novels earned $29.9 million in 39 markets, including Jones' native United Kingdom.
Open Road Films' "Snowden," which features Joseph Gordon-Levitt portraying NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, domestically opened at No. 4 with $8 million. The debut marks the lowest in filmmaker Oliver Stone's career.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. "Sully," $22 million ($7 million international).
2. "Blair Witch," $9.7 million ($4.9 million international).
3. "Bridget Jones's Baby," $8.2 million ($29.9 million international).
4. "Snowden," $8 million ($720,000 international).
5. "Don't Breathe," $5.6 million ($7.2 million international).
6. "When the Bough Breaks," $5.5 million.
7. "Suicide Squad," $4.7 million ($5.8 million international).
8. "The Wild Life," $2.7 million ($600,000 international).
9. "Kubo and the Two Strings," $2.5 million ($1.3 million international).
10. "Pete's Dragon," $2 million ($5.2 million international).
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada), according to comScore:
1. "Bridget Jones's Baby," $29.9 million.
2. "The Age of Shadows (Mil Jeong)," $21.5 million.
3. "A Chinese Odyssey: Part Three," $17.3 million.
4. "Ben-Hur," $11.3 million.
5. "S Storm," $9.8 million.
6. "The Secret Life of Pets," $9.6 million.
7. "Finding Dory," $8.3 million.
8. "Don't Breathe," $7.2 million.
9. "Sully" and "Star Trek Beyond," $7 million.
10. "Soulmate," $6.2 million.
Review: Writer-Director Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance”
In its first two hours, "The Substance" is a well-made, entertaining movie. Writer-director Coralie Fargeat treats audiences to a heavy dose of biting social commentary on ageism and sexism in Hollywood, with a spoonful of sugar- and sparkle-doused body horror.
But the film's deliciously unhinged, blood-soaked and inevitably polarizing third act is what makes it unforgettable.
What begins as a dread-inducing but still relatively palatable sci-fi flick spirals deeper into absurdism and violence, eventually erupting — quite literally — into a full-blown monster movie. Let the viewer decide who the monster is.
Fargeat — who won best screenplay at this year's Cannes Film Festival — has been vocal about her reverence for "The Fly" director David Cronenberg, and fans of the godfather of body horror will see his unmistakable influence. But "The Substance" is also wholly unique and benefits from Fargeat's perspective, which, according to the French filmmaker, has involved extensive grappling with her own relationship to her body and society's scrutiny.
"The Substance" tells the story of Elisabeth Sparkle, a famed aerobics instructor with a televised show, played by a powerfully vulnerable Demi Moore. Sparkle is fired on her 50th birthday by a ruthless executive — a perfectly cast Dennis Quaid, who nails sleazy and gross.
Feeling rejected by a town that once loved her and despairing over her bygone star power, Sparkle learns from a handsome young nurse about a black-market drug that promises to create a "younger, more beautiful, more perfect" version of its user. Though she initially tosses the phone number in the trash, she soon fishes it out in a desperate panic and places an order.
The one rule to follow is that... Read More