NEW YORK (AP) - James Gunn’s comic, cosmic Marvel sequel “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” kicked off the summer movie season with a $146.5 million debut in North America, according to final studio figures Monday.
Hollywood counts the summer season -during which about 40 percent of its annual ticket sales are sold - as running from the first weekend of May through Labor Day. Marvel has long staked out the first weekend, and this year, it and the Walt Disney Co. pushed forward what was once one of Marvel’s more oddball, uncertain properties onto the main stage.
It worked. Riding the positive response of the 2014 original, as well as good reviews (82 percent “fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes) and strong word of mouth (an A CinemaScore from audiences), “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” scored the second largest opening weekend of the year. Only “Beauty and the Beast” ($174.8 million) has done better.
The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by comScore:
1. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” Disney, $146,510,104, 4,347 locations, $33,704 average, $146,510,104, 1 Week.
2. “The Fate of the Furious,” Universal, $8,577,175, 3,595 locations, $2,386 average, $207,184,705, 4 Weeks.
3. “The Boss Baby,” 20th Century Fox, $5,976,818, 3,284 locations, $1,820 average, $156,537,343, 6 Weeks.
4. “How To Be A Latin Lover,” Lionsgate, $5,144,904, 1,203 locations, $4,277 average, $20,548,224, 2 Weeks.
5. “Beauty And The Beast,” Disney, $5,087,749, 2,680 locations, $1,898 average, $487,739,364, 8 Weeks.
6. “The Circle,” STX Entertainment, $3,959,045, 3,163 locations, $1,252 average, $15,654,158, 2 Weeks.
7. “Baahubali: The Conclusion,” Great India Films, $3,394,061, 419 locations, $8,100 average, $16,330,025, 2 Weeks.
8. “Gifted,” Fox Searchlight, $2,024,001, 1,874 locations, $1,080 average, $19,209,332, 5 Weeks.
9. “Smurfs: The Lost Village,” Sony, $1,838,424, 1,902 locations, $967 average, $40,588,998, 5 Weeks.
10. “Going In Style,” Warner Bros., $1,835,383, 2,033 locations, $903 average, $40,536,301, 5 Weeks.
11. “Born In China,” Disney, $1,219,025, 1,414 locations, $862 average, $10,942,936, 3 Weeks.
12. “The Lost City Of Z,” Bleecker Street, $1,035,875, 815 locations, $1,271 average, $6,632,028, 4 Weeks.
13. “Sleight,” OTL Releasing, $768,005, 591 locations, $1,300 average, $3,001,200, 2 Weeks.
14. “Get Out,” Universal, $711,155, 818 locations, $869 average, $173,836,140, 11 Weeks.
15. “Unforgettable,” Warner Bros., $670,067, 1,003 locations, $668 average, $10,630,178, 3 Weeks.
16. “The Dinner,” The Orchard, $655,493, 505 locations, $1,298 average, $655,493, 1 Week.
17. “Zookeeper’s Wife, The,” Focus Features, $528,500, 655 locations, $807 average, $15,796,661, 6 Weeks.
18. “Kong: Skull Island,” Warner Bros., $507,959, 653 locations, $778 average, $166,300,039, 9 Weeks.
19. “Norman: The Moderate Rise And Tragic Fall,” Sony Pictures Classics, $447,438, 125 locations, $3,580 average, $1,061,025, 4 Weeks.
20. “Their Finest,” STX Entertainment, $411,190, 323 locations, $1,273 average, $2,444,317, 5 Weeks.
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