LOS ANGELES, April 22 — Warner Bros and New Line's The Curse of La Llorona ascended to the top of domestic box office charts, conjuring US$26.5 million (RM109.4 million) when it opened in 3,372 North American theatres.
La Llorona is the latest horror movie to outperform expectations, further cementing the genre as a reliable box office draw. Even so, La Llorona and other new releases Breakthrough and Penguins couldn't salvage movie theatres from suffering the worst Easter weekend showing in almost 15 years.
This weekend's offerings amassed US$112 million in ticket sales, the lowest haul since 2005, according to Comscore. The decline in sales is likely because the rest of Hollywood avoided opening a big movie ahead of Disney and Marvel's Avengers: Endgame, which is expected to crush records when it debuts on April 26.
La Llorona also debuted in 71 international markets, where it collected US$30 million for a global start of US$56.5 million. The supernatural thriller, set in the Conjuring universe, cost US$9 million to produce.
The film is based on the Mexican folklore about the Weeping Woman, a figure who lost her children and causes misfortune to those nearby. James Wan, known for his work on Aquaman, The Conjuring, and Saw, served as a producer.
Warner Bros and New Line claimed the top two spots at the box office as last weekend's champ Shazam! dropped to second place. The comic-book adventure added another US$17 million in its third weekend of release, taking ticket sales to US$121 million at the domestic market.
Breakthrough, a faith-based film about a parent's unwavering love for their children, debuted at No. 3, generating US$11 million over the weekend and US$14 million during its first five days of release. That's a solid start for Breakthrough, Disney's first Fox release since the US$71 billion merger, since the film cost US$14 million to produce.
“Roxann Dawson, DeVon Franklin, and the Fox 2000 team have delivered a wonderfully crafted, deeply emotional film that we're thrilled to see resonating with audiences,” said Cathleen Taff, Disney's president of global distribution. “And with excellent reviews and word of mouth, we expect a healthy run ahead.”
Overseas, Breakthrough earned US$5.9 million for a global start of US$20.5 million. Breakthrough stars This Is Us actress Chrissy Metz as a mother who refuses to give up hope after her adopted son suffers a near-fatal fall through an icy lake.
Roxann Dawson directed the movie, which was produced by DeVon Franklin (Miracles from Heaven, Heaven Is for Real) and executive produced by NBA star Stephen Curry. Females accounted for 65 per cent of the domestic opening weekend crowd for Breakthrough, while 70 per cent of moviegoers were over the age of 25. Audiences embraced the film, giving it an A CinemaScore.
Disney also released Penguins, a documentary narrated by Ed Helms. It debuted below expectations, picking up US$2.3 million from 1,815 venues and US$3.3 million through its first five days in theatres.
In fourth place, Disney's Captain Marvel pocketed US$9 million in its seventh weekend in theatres. That bounty puts the female-fronted superhero movie past the US$400 million mark in North America. Captain Marvel likely saw a bump in ticket sales in anticipation of Avengers: Endgame. Captain Marvel has now earned US$1.09 billion, making it the eighth biggest superhero movie of all time.
Universal's Little rounded out the top five with US$8 million for a domestic tally of US$29 million.
At the specialty box office, Her Smell, a musical drama starring Elisabeth Moss, continued its platform release. It picked up US$68,736 when expanded to 24 theatres (US$2,864 per screen), bringing its domestic total to US$117,577.
Another musically-infused title, LD Entertainment and Bleecker Street's Teen Spirit, picked up US$250,536 when it expanded to 696 theatres, averaging a disappointing US$360 per venue. The film, directed by Max Minghella and starring Elle Fanning, has grossed US$305,356 to date. — Reuters
