By Lindsey Bahr, Film Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --"Zootopia" continues to run wild over its rivals in its third weekend in theaters, stomping all over the launch of "Allegiant," the third film in the "Divergent" series.
The animated Disney film featuring the voices of Jason Bateman and Ginnifer Goodwin earned $38 million this weekend to take first place once again, according to comScore estimates Sunday. It's now earned $201.8 million domestically.
It stole the thunder from "The Divergent Series: Allegiant," starring Shailene Woodley and Theo James, which opened in second place with an estimated $29.1 million from 3,740 locations.
It's a new low for the YA series based on Veronica Roth's novels, which both opened north of $50 million, but not unexpected. Lionsgate broke up Roth's final book into two movies, the second of which, "Ascendant," launches next year. And, like "Twilight" and "The Hunger Games," it's not unusual for Part 1 of a 2-film finale to fall short of some of its predecessors.
"It's had mixed results in general, but it's also had great results so I can't really fault a studio for going with that strategy," said Paul Dergarabedian, comScore's senior media analyst. "It's like skipping ahead in a book. I think it's a strategy that may want to be reconsidered. But there are other factors – is the movie good? What are the conditions of the marketplace?"
Dergarabedian also noted that fickleness of the teen audience might be playing into the big drop from the previous films.
"They're chasing an audience that is very difficult to pin down," he said. "What might be cool to them one day isn't cool the next."
But while the future of drawn out YA franchises might be looking as bleak as the dystopias they portray, one genre that does seem to produce near-consistent hits is that of the faith-based film.
The latest entry, Sony's "Miracles From Heaven," took third place this weekend with an impressive $15 million. The film, starring Jennifer Garner and Queen Latifah, opened Wednesday. It's earned $18.6 million to date, and cost only $13 million to produce.
Audiences, who were 65 percent female and 75 percent over the age of 25, gave the film an A+ CinemaScore, which bodes well for its longevity going into the Easter holiday weekend.
It's no secret that there have been a slew of faith-based breakout hits, but not many of them have mainstream Hollywood stars on the level of Garner and Latifah.
"These films are a home run in terms of having modest budgets and an audience, but star power does make a difference," Dergarabedian said.
Rory Bruer, Sony's President of Worldwide Distribution, agreed.
"It has a faith-based core, but this movie is for everyone," Bruer said.
Rounding out the top five were holdovers "10 Cloverfield Lane" and "Deadpool" with $12.5 million and $8 million, respectively.
The weekend overall was about on par with last year, but the 2016 box office is thriving, up 10.5 percent from 2015 – a number that is likely to rise when "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" opens next weekend.
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. "Zootopia," $38 million ($64.8 million international).
2. "The Divergent Series: Allegiant," $29.1 million ($22 million international).
3. "Miracles From Heaven," $15 million.
4. "10 Cloverfield Lane," $12.5 million ($5 million international).
5. "Deadpool," $8 million ($6.1 million international).
6. "London Has Fallen," $6.9 million ($10 million international).
7. "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot," $2.8 million.
8. "The Perfect Match," $1.9 million.
9. "The Brothers Grimsby," $1.4 million ($2.6 million international).
10. "The Revenant," $1.2 million ($36.4 million international).
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada), according to comScore:
1. "Zootopia," $64.8 million.
2. "The Revenant," $36.4 million.
3. "Kung Fu Panda 3," $31.8 million.
4. "The Divergent Series: Allegiant," $22 million.
5. London Has Fallen," $10 million.
6. "Gods of Egypt," $6.2 million.
7. "Deadpool," $6.1 million.
8. "Kapoor & Sons – Sine 1921," $5.9 million.
9. "10 Cloverfield Lane," $5 million.
10. "The Brothers Grimsby," $2.6 million.
In NBC’s “Brilliant Minds,” Zachary Quinto Plays Doctor–In A Role Inspired By Physician/Author Oliver Sacks
There's a great moment in the first episode of the new NBC medical drama "Brilliant Minds" when it becomes very clear that we're not dealing with a typical TV doctor.
Zachary Quinto is behind the wheel of a car barreling down a New York City parkway, packed with hospital interns, abruptly weaving in and out of lanes, when one of them asks, "Does anyone want to share a Klonopin?" — a drug sometimes used to treat panic disorders.
"Oh, glory to God, yes, please," says Quinto, reaching an arm into the back seat. The intern then breaks the pill in half and gives a sliver to the driver, who swallows it, as the other interns share stunned looks.
Quinto, playing the character Dr. Oliver Wolf, is clearly not portraying any dour, by-the-rules doctor here — he's playing a character inspired by Dr. Oliver Sacks, the path-breaking researcher and author who rose to fame in the 1970s and was once called the "poet laureate of medicine."
"He was someone who was tirelessly committed to the dignity of the human experience. And so I feel really grateful to be able to tell his story and to continue his legacy in a way that I hope our show is able to do," says Quinto.
He's a fern-loving doctor
"Brilliant Minds" takes Sack's personality — a motorcycle-riding, fern-loving advocate for mental health who died in 2015 at 82 — and puts him in the present day, where the creators theorize he would have no idea who Taylor Swift is or own a cell phone. The series debuts Monday on NBC, right after "The Voice."
"It's almost as if we're imagining what it would have been like if Oliver Sacks had been born at a different time," says Quinto. "We use the real life person as our North Star through everything we're doing and all the... Read More