LOS ANGELES, Aug 16 — The video game action comedy Free Guy has topped the North American box office in its opening weekend, taking in US$28.4 million (RM120.3 million), preliminary figures from trade firm Exhibitor Relations showed Sunday.
The film, which light-heartedly explores the boundary between the virtual and the real, features an anti-hero played by Ryan Reynolds, a man who realises he is a character in a video game and seeks to take control of his destiny.
“This is a very good opening under difficult conditions. The Delta variant is taking a toll,” David A. Gross, who runs consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research, told AFP, referring to a surge in coronavirus cases.
The horror feature Don’t Breathe 2, about a game of mass murder perpetuated by a blind veteran, came in second place with US$10.6 million in its first weekend.
In third place was Disney’s family adventure film Jungle Cruise, based on a theme park ride, with US$9 million for the Friday-Sunday period.
Right behind it, the biopic about soul queen Aretha Franklin, Respect came in fourth with US$8.8 million, and rounding out the top five was the supervillain movie The Suicide Squad, which amassed US$7.8 million.
Here are the rest of the top 10:
Old (US$2.4 million)
Black Widow (US$2 million)
Stillwater (US$1.3 million)
The Green Knight (US$1.2 million)
Space Jam: A New Legacy (US$1.2 million) — AFP
