Dwayne Johnson is one of the last remaining movie stars, a man with box office clout that can (usually) overcome dodgy reviews of his work. Sadly for The Rock and Skyscraper, he couldn't see off an animated vampire on a cruise, as Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation topped the US box office this weekend, earning an estimated $44.1 million.
The third outing for the Drac Pac (with the voices of Adam Sandler and pals) proved a success, opening smack in the middle of the totals of the previous two movies. And it clearly tapped into a need for fresh animated fare for families after a few weeks of Incredibles 2 being on release, even if the gags might not be as inventive. The Rock, meanwhile, couldn't even scale the heights of second place, as previous champ Ant-Man And The Wasp was deposed but only fell one spot, adding $28.8 million to its domestic total.
Skyscraper, meanwhile, had to make do with only a third place launch, earning a less-than-towering $24.5 million, Johnson's worst start at the box office since Baywatch and lower than his previous collaboration with Rawson Marshall Thurber, Central Intelligence. Incredibles 2 fell to fourth, making $16.2 million after five weeks on release, while Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom rounded out the top five with $15.5 million.
The First Purge was sixth on $9.1 million, while new buzzed-out indie Sorry To Bother You added to its screen count and leapt from 16th to seventh via $4.2 million. Sicario: Day Of The Soldado slipped to eighth with $3.8 million, and Uncle Drew was ninth, earning $3.2 million. Ocean's Eight dropped to 10th place, making off with $2.9 million.
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