Tim Miller’s Deadpool scored the top spot at the box office for the third weekend in a row, taking in an additional $31.5 million from 3,856 theaters.
Ryan Reynolds’ wisecracking superhero film has accumulated a total of $285.6 million domestically, passing The Matrix Reloaded to become the third highest R-rated movie of all time. The Passion of the Christ still holds the No. 1 spot, with a lifetime domestic total of $370.8 million.
“Much like the hero in the movie, Deadpool just keeps dispatching its competition week after week,” says comScore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “Studios have woken up to the fact that you can have a big hit in any month of the year. People will come out in droves if you have the right movie. The movie makes the date now, the date doesn’t make the movie. It’s a paradigm shift a long time in coming.”
Newcomers for the weekend included Lionsgate’s Gods of Egypt and Fox’s Eddie the Eagle, scoring $14 million for second place and $6.3 million for fifth place, respectively.
Gods of Egypt, starring Gerard Butler, Brenton Thwaites, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, received a B-minus CinemaScore from moviegoers and a 13 percent “fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes from critics.
“We’re disappointed with the results. It was certainly below expectations,” said Lionsgate distribution chief David Spitz.
Eddie the Eagle, starring Taron Egerton as Olympic ski jumper Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards, received favorable ratings from moviegoers and critics, alike (A CinemaScore and a decent 73 percent “fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes).
“I love the fact that Fox is supporting their talent. I bet you this movie will end up being profitable,” said Dergerabedian.
The weekend’s final release included Triple 9, which received $6.1 million. The crime thriller, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Casey Affleck, Anthony Mackie, Woody Harrelson and Kate Winslet, received a C-plus CinemaScore from audiences and a 54 percent “fresh” Rotten Tomatoes rating from critics.
Taking the third and fourth spot at the box office is the animated Kung Fu Panda with $9 million and the biblical drama Risen with $7 million.
Top 10 Films at Weekend Box Office: February 26-28
- Deadpool — $31.5 million
- Gods Of Egypt — $14 million
- Kung Fu Panda 3 — $9 million
- Risen — $7 million
- Eddie The Eagle — $6.3 million
- Triple 9 — $6.1 million
- How To Be Single — $5.2 million
- The Witch — $5 million
- Race — $4.3 million
- The Revenant — $3.8 million
