LOS ANGELES, Oct 8, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Superhero blockbuster “Venom” saved
the day at the North American box office this weekend, pulling in an
estimated $80 million in ticket sales, industry tracker Exhibitor Relations
reported Sunday.
The film, the official launch of Sony’s Marvel Universe, stars Tom Hardy as
a journalist who becomes the host for an alien symbiote that gives him
superpowers.
The character is a villain in the “Spider-Man” comic book world.
Despite being panned by critics, the movie comfortably broke the October
opening weekend record by more than $20 million, according to Box Office Mojo
figures.
In second place was another new release, musical romance “A Star Is Born,”
which took in $41.25 million.
The third remake of the 1937 film of the same name, it marks the directing
debut of Bradley Cooper, who stars as a musician who discovers and falls in
love with a young singer played by pop superstar Lady Gaga.
Third place went to Warner Bros.’s “Smallfoot,” with earnings of $14.9
million in its second weekend. The comic family animation tells the story of
a group of Yeti who come across a human, with voicing by Channing Tatum,
LeBron James and Danny DeVito. Coming in fourth was last weekend’s champion,
Universal’s “Night School,” whose earnings dropped nearly $16 million to
$12.3 million this weekend.
The raucous comedy stars Kevin Hart as one student in a class of misfits
working toward high school diplomas under the firm tutelage of Tiffany
Haddish.
Fifth place went to Universal’s family-friendly offering “The House With a
Clock in Its Walls,” which slipped from third place last weekend with takings
of $7.3 million.