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‘Venom’ keeps its lock on North American box office
LOS ANGELES, Oct 16, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Sony’s superhero film “Venom” held
onto the lead this weekend in North American box offices, despite bad
reviews, again trailed by last weekend’s number two “A Star Is Born,” final
figures showed Monday.
“Venom” took in $35 million for the three-day weekend, while the well-
reviewed “Star” from Warner Bros. had $28.4 million in ticket sales.
Universal’s highly touted astronaut drama “First Man,” from Oscar-winning
director Damien Chazelle, took in just $16 million in its opening weekend, to
place third.
“Venom” stars Tom Hardy as a journalist who becomes the superpowerful host
for an alien symbiote. His character is a villain in the “Spider-Man” world.
The film also stars Michelle Williams, and has had strong global ticket
sales.
“A Star Is Born,” the third remake of a 1937 film by the same name, marks
the directing debut of actor Bradley Cooper.
He plays a hard-drinking country/rock musician who falls in love with a
young singer played by pop superstar Lady Gaga, only to see her star rise as
his tumbles.
“First Man” opened with high expectations, reuniting Chazelle with Ryan
Gosling, his star from popular musical “La La Land.”
Because of its adult-skewing audience, analysts predict a long run for the
film, which recounts Neil Armstrong’s journey to the moon in 1969.
Fourth place went to Sony’s “Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween,” which had
ticket sales of $15.8 million. The family-friendly sequel, based on the
children’s book series by R.L. Stine, stars Wendi McLendon-Covey and Madison
Iseman.
In fifth was Warner Bros. animation “Smallfoot,” with earnings of $9.1
million.
The comic film flips the usual Bigfoot tale on its head, telling the story
of a group of Yeti terrified when they come across a human. Voices are by
Channing Tatum, James Corden, Zendaya, Common and others.
BSS/AFP/MSY/0938 hrs