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PEOPLE & ARTS A29
Monday 7 March 2016
‘Zootopia,’ ‘London Has Fallen’ dethrone ‘Deadpool’
LINDSEY BAHR
AP Film Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) —
“Deadpool’s” three-week
reign atop the box office
has ended thanks to a
handful of new openers,
including “Zootopia” and
“London Has Fallen.”
The top spot went to Dis-
ney’s “Zootopia” which
staged a box office stam-
pede in its first weekend in
North American theaters
with $73.7 million, accord-
ing to comScore estimates
Sunday. It’s the fourth high-
est March opening ever
and a best for a Disney Ani-
mation three-day debut.
The studio’s previous re-
cord-holder, “Frozen,”
grossed $67.4 million over This image released by Disney shows Judy Hopps, voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin, in a scene from the animated film, “Zootopia.”
Associated Press
three days in its Thanksgiv-
ed $60 million to make.
ing opening. While it’s a decent debut,
it does lag behind the first
Critics and audiences love film’s $30 million opening.
But it’s a welcome change
the film, which features the of pace for Butler, whose
“Gods of Egypt” bombed
voices of Jason Bateman in its opening last week-
end.
and Ginnifer Goodwin. It In its fourth weekend in the-
aters, “Deadpool” fell to
got a coveted A CinemaS- third place with $16.4 mil-
lion, bringing its domestic
core and a near-perfect total to a staggering $311.2
million.
Rotten Tomatoes score. The Tina Fey comedy
“Whiskey Tango Foxtrot,”
According to exit polls, meanwhile, debuted in
fourth with an estimated
families made up 73 per- $7.6 million. The film cost a
reported $35 million to pro-
cent of opening weekend duce.
The movie, which finds
audiences. Fey’s journalist character
on assignment in Afghani-
Dave Hollis, Disney’s Execu- stan, has garnered mixed
to positive reviews from
tive Vice President of Dis- critics. According to exit
polls, audiences were 56
tribution, said “Zootopia” percent female and 89
percent over 25.
is the latest in a “creative Fey’s last film, “Sisters,” was
budgeted at $30 million.
renaissance” for the Disney It opened to $13.9 million
against “Star Wars: The
Animation group, includ- Force Awakens” and went
on to earn $87 million do-
ing “Tangled,” ‘’Frozen,” mestically.
“It’s a great weekend,”
‘’Big Hero 6” and “Wreck-It said comScore senior me-
dia analyst Paul Derga-
Ralph.” rabedian. “And it’s anoth-
er better-than-expected
“There is consistency at a debut in a time of year that
doesn’t usually breed great
really high level of deliv- opening weekends.”q
ering great stories, amaz-
ing worlds and characters
who people can relate
to,” Hollis said, noting that
“Zootopia” is the only true
all-audience film in the
marketplace until Disney’s
“The Jungle Book” bows on
April 15.
“Zootopia” also brought in
$63.4 million internationally,
where it is in its fourth week-
end. The film has grossed
$232.5 million globally to
date.
In second place, “Lon-
don Has Fallen,” a sequel
to the “Die Hard” in the
White House pic “Olympus
Has Fallen,” earned $21.7
million. The main cast re-
turned for the film, includ-
ing Gerard Butler, Aaron
Eckhart and Morgan Free-
man, which cost a report-