Captain America continues to vanquish box office foes, triumphing in ticket sales for the third consecutive week and dominating over megastar Johnny Depp’s new movie.
“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” added another $26 million to its coffers, according to studio estimates Sunday, while Depp’s sci-fi thriller, “Transcendence,” opened in fourth place with $11 million.
Directed by longtime Christopher Nolan cinematographer Wally Pfister, the Warner Bros. film is Depp’s third consecutive box office disappointment. He played Tonto in last summer’s “The Lone Ranger” — one of the biggest flops of 2013 — and starred in 2012’s comedy-horror dud, “Dark Shadows.”
“As we approach the summer movie season, box-office drawing power becomes more about the concept of the movie rather than its star,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for box-office tracker Rentrak. “It may not have been so much [about] Johnny Depp, but audiences right now like brands that they know.”
That doesn’t bode well for original ideas, such as “Transcendence,” penned by first-time screenwriter Jack Paglen. Dergarabedian notes that 12 sequels are expected this summer alone.
Another new movie, the religious-themed “Heaven Is for Real,” debuted in third place over Easter weekend, while another sequel, “Rio 2,” held on to the second spot.
Faith-based films are performing well, Dergarabedian said, with four releases in the domestic top 20.
“The Winter Soldier” set a box-office record as the biggest April release ever when it opened with more than $96 million domestically. Starring Chris Evans as comic book hero Capt. America and Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, the Disney release has earned more than $200 million to date in North America — the 12th Marvel film to do so.
Estimated ticket sales are for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak.
The Top 10
1. “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” $26.6 million
2. “Rio 2,” $22.5 million
3. “Heaven is for Real,” $21.5 million
4. “Transcendence,” $11.2 million
5. “A Haunted House 2,” $9.1 million
6. “Draft Day,” $5.9 million
7. “Divergent,” $5.75 million
8. “Oculus,” $5.2 million
9. “Noah,” $5 million
10. “God’s Not Dead,” $4.8 million
Categories: -News-, Entertainment
