NEW YORK — Marvel’s R-rated antihero smash “Deadpool” continued to dominate movie theaters over the weekend, earning an estimated $55 million and trouncing a trio of newcomers.
After pulling in a massive $152.2 million in its President’s Day weekend four-day debut, the comic book adaptation from 20th Century Fox starring Ryan Reynolds as a foul-mouthed mercenary again topped the North American box office. Having already grossed $235.4 million domestically, “Deadpool” is poised to become one of the most successful R-rated movies ever.
Globally, the film has made $491.1 million thus far.
Among new releases, the faith-based drama “Risen” debuted with $11.8 million. The film, in which Joseph Fiennes plays a Roman soldier investigating the death and resurrection of Jesus, was made for about $20 million by Sony’s Affirm label, which targets evangelical Christian moviegoers.
A24’s critically acclaimed Puritan thriller “The Witch” opened with $8.7 million, marking the biggest opening of the indie label behind the Oscar-nominated drama “Room.” A24 celebrated Robert Eggers’ directorial debut – an austere 1600s horror film, rigorously authentic to the period – as not only the company’s biggest weekend in its three-year history, but one that put “The Witch” on course to be “the most successful film of all time with a goat in a starring role.”
It may have been too art house for some horror fans, though, as “The Witch” received a poor C-minus CinemaScore from audiences.
The Jesse Owens biopic from Focus Features, “Race,” struggled to find its footing with $7.3 million. Directed by Stephen Hopkins, “Race” stars Stephan James as the Olympic sprinter.
Edging out the three debuts was Fox’s “Kung Fu Panda 3,” which made $12.5 million in its fourth weekend. The animated sequel, which has made $117.1 million in total, will lose its near-exclusive window of family moviegoing next weekend when Disney’s “Zootopia” opens.
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