LOS ANGELES, March 3 — After a close race for the top spot in the US, Universal and DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World pulled ahead to secure the domestic box office crown.
The final instalment in the Dragon trilogy stayed strong, adding another US$30 million (RM122.2 million) in its second weekend of release. The animated adventure is just shy of the US$100 million mark in the US with its domestic tally currently sitting at US$97.6 million.
While How to Train Your Dragon 3 fended off newcomers to repeat No. 1, Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral still had a solid start of its own. Perry bid a farewell to his long-running Madea character in the 11th and final instalment in the 15-year franchise. It opened ahead of expectations, pocketing US$27 million from 2,442 theatres.
Madea Family Funeral, which Perry directs, stars, and produces, marks the end of his partnership with Lionsgate. Like previous Madea entries, audiences were more receptive to the eccentric character than critics were. The film nabbed a promising A- CinemaScore, while its Rotten Tomato score is a less-enthusiastic 25 per cent. Moviegoers over the age of 25 accounted for 78 per cent of its opening weekend, while 67 per cent of crowds were female.
Third place went to Fox’s Alita: Battle Angel, which earned US$7 million in its third weekend of release. Warner Bros’ The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part landed at No. 4 with US$6 million, while Universal’s Green Book rounded out the top five, amassing US$4.7 million after nabbing an Oscar for best picture last weekend. — Variety.com via Reuters
