HOLLYWOOD—After what appeared to be a slow box-office after the impressive debut for “Fifty Shades of Grey,” the box-office is back in business. Moviegoers were enchanted with the live-action “Cinderella” to the tune of $70 million. That is a huge debut for Disney who saw similar success in 2014 with the Angelina Jolie tale “Maleficent.”
“Cinderella,” which stars Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett and “Downton Abbey” star Lily James wasn’t just a win for the kiddies, but apparently females who turned out in strodes to catch the family flick. Not impressing audiences as much was the Liam Neeson thriller “Run All Night” with a disappointing $11 million. This is a bit of a surprise for box-office gurus, as Neeson saw major success back in January with “Taken 3” which opened to close to $40 million during its opening weekend.
Still showing considerable legs at the box-office was “Kingsman: The Secret Service” grabbing the #3 spot. The film has managed to stay in the top five since its debut on Valentine’s Day weekend. Will Smith is having some success with the spy-thriller “Focus” which added a little over $5.8 million to its tally. While no explosive hit, as previous Smith films, “Focus” might cross the $50 million at the domestic box-office.
Rounding out the top five was last week’s box-office champ, “Chappie” which fell more than 50 percent earning around $5.8 million. It is indeed a neck-and-neck race for “Focus” and “Chappie” in terms of box-office receipts.
This weekend sees the release of second installment in the popular novel series “Divergent.” The sequel “Insurgent” starring Kate Winslet and Shailene Woodley is set to claim the top box with movie lovers. It might be big, but not as big as its predecessor which failed to inspire audiences.
