"X-Men" scores franchise best atop US box office
The mutant superheroes from the latest blockbuster "X-Men" film pulverized rivals at North America's box office this weekend to record the franchise's biggest ever opening, industry figures showed Monday.
"X-Men: Days of Future Past," a time-bending movie already a hit with critics, debuted with a three-day $90.8 milllion, or $110.6 million including the Monday Memorial Day holiday.
The star-studded cast of the movie, including Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Michael Fassbender and Halle Berry, helped the film make $261.7 million globally, more than any of the six previous "X-Men" outings, according to tracker Exhibitor Relations
In second place in a mutant-monster weekend was "Godzilla," featuring "Breaking Bad" star Bryan Cranston as a tortured Japanese-speaking scientist battling to save humanity.
The film raked in $30.9 million over three days, or $38.4 million including Memorial Day.
Meanwhile, romantic comedy "Blended," featuring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, opened over the weekend in third place, with $14.3 million, or $17.7 million including the holiday.
"Neighbors" starring Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne as a couple living next door to a raucous fraternity house, earned a fourth-place ranking with $14 million, or $17.1 million over the long weekend.
In fifth place was another comic-book favorite, "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," which fell from third place last week, earning $7.8 million, or $10 million including Monday.
"Million Dollar Arm" which stars Jon Hamm and tells the true story of a Major League Baseball agent who goes to India to find the next big thing among cricket players, came in sixth place, pulling in $7 million, or $9.2 million with Memorial Day ticket sales.
Sliding to seventh was "The Other Woman," a romantic comedy starring Cameron Diaz, with $3.7 million or $4.5 million over the four-day period.
Animated flick "Rio 2" fell one place to eighth, taking in $2.5 million or $3.4 million including Monday.
The movie only barely overtook foodie flick "Chef," the story of a fictional celebrity chef who decides to embark on a food-truck adventure, which brought in $2.3 million or $3 million including the holiday.
Rounding out the top ten was "Heaven Is for Real," starring Greg Kinnear as the father of a four-year-old boy who wakes up from emergency surgery with a story about going to heaven and back, with ticket sales $2 million, or $2.8 for the four-day period.
In other cinema ticket sales news Monday, Disney's Oscar-winning "Frozen" became the fifth highest-grossing movie of all time, after overtaking "Iron Man 3" at the global box office, with some $1.22 billion in worldwide earnings, according to the Box Office Mojo tracker.
