Cinderella’s fairy godmother was clearly watching over her at the US box office this weekend, as Disney’s latest ‘toon-to-live-action conversion job debuted with a huge $70 million domestically. With some international openings already under way, the film is up to more than $132 million worldwide, according to studio estimates.
That’ll serve to bolster the studio’s efforts to turn its cartoon archive into more live-action adventures, with Beauty And The Beast, The Jungle Book, an Alice In Wonderland sequel and Dumbo (which Tim Burton is considering directing) all on the slate. And it probably didn’t hurt that the film also carried the first new Frozen material in a while, in the shape of short Frozen Fever. Do not underestimate the incredible drawing power of Arendelle…
Liam Neeson didn’t fare as well, and probably wishes that he’d had a little magical intervention as his third action collaboration with director Jaume Collet-Serra, Run All Night, didn’t show very strong legs on its opening. With $11 million in the bank so far, that’s a poor result compared with the likes of Non-Stop and even last year’s more dramatic Scott Frank offering, A Walk Among The Tombstones. It’ll need to run a little faster to keep up and may hasten Neeson’s decision to put the brakes on the gunplay.
**Kingsman: The Secret Service **actually jumped up one place, swapping with Focus to land third with $6.2 million. The Will Smith con drama, meanwhile, fell to fourth and $5.81 million. Chappie doesn’t appear to be holding well, slipping quickly from last week’s top place opening to fifth, earning $5.8 million this weekend.
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was down a few places itself, landing sixth with $5.7 million, while The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water dropped to seventh with $4.1 million. Sports drama **McFarland, USA **made $3.6 million in eighth and American Sniper re-entered the top ten at ninth, taking in $2.93 million. In tenth landed high-school comedy The DUFF, which made $2.9 million.
To see Cinders break a glass slipper over Liam Neeson’s noggin in the full chart listings, head to Box Office Mojo.