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A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Wednesday 12 december 2018

‘Ralph’ tops box office again, ‘Aquaman’ is a hit in China

By JAKE COYLE better at the Globes (five
Associated Press nominations, including best
NEW YORK (AP) — In the picture, comedy or musi-
calm before the Christmas cal, and acting nods for
storm at the box office, Mahershala Ali and Viggo
“Ralph Breaks the Internet” Mortensen) and had good
remained No. 1 for the third results at the box office to
straight week, while the show for it. In its fourth week
upcoming DC Comics su- of release, “Green Book”
perhero film “Aquaman” held with a rare 0 percent
arrived with a cannonball- drop, earning $3.9 million
sized splash in Chinese the- in 1,181 theaters. It has
aters. grossed $20 million in total.
For the second week in a Yorgos Lanthimos’ comic
row, no new wide releases period drama “The Favou-
opened in North American rite” continued to pick up
theaters, allowing Disney’s steam. The acclaimed Fox
animated sequel to again This image released by Disney shows characters, from left, Ralph, voiced by John C. Reilly, Yess, Searchlight release, star-
lead domestic ticket sales voiced by Taraji P. Henson and Vanellope von Schweetz, voiced by Sarah Silverman in a scene ring Olivia Colman, Emma
with $16.1 million, accord- from “Ralph Breaks the Internet.” Stone and Rachel Weisz,
ing to studio estimates Associated Press expanded into 91 theaters
Sunday. The top six films at DC films (“Justice League,” and other movies, that’s Kyle Davies said theaters over the weekend to gross
the box office were all un- ‘’Suicide Squad”), the big going to give December were mostly sold out. Per- $1.4 million ($15,000 per
changed. Universal’s “The launch in China was a that boost that a ‘Star Wars’ haps more importantly, theater).
Grinch,” still a major draw promising sign for the spi- movie would give us.” the film directed by Travis A more traditional royal
in its fifth weekend, trailed noff starring Jason Momoa. “Aquaman” will expand Knight and starring Hailee drama, “Mary Queen of
in second with $15.2 million. “Adding to the success of to 40 international coun- Steinfeld aided its word of Scots,” also opened strong-
But the weekend’s big- ‘Wonder Woman,’ this is a tries next week and arrive mouth with largely glowing ly in limited release. The
gest new arrival was in really solid performance in North American theaters reviews — a rarity for the Focus Features title, star-
China, where Warner Bros.’ and portends big num- Dec. 21. “Transformers” franchise. ring Saoirse Ronan as Mary
“Aquaman” debuted with bers for North America in “Aquaman” wasn’t the Disney’s “Mary Poppins Stuart and Margot Robbie
$93.6 million in ticket sales. two weeks when it opens,” only big-budget holiday Returns,” due out Dec. 19, as Elizabeth I, debuted in
That marked a new open- said Paul Dergarabedian, season release receiving a also helped its cause with four theaters with a robust
ing-weekend record for senior media analyst for lift this week. Paramount’s four Golden Globe nomi- $50,045 per-theater aver-
both Warner Bros. and DC Comscore. “This is a movie, “Transformers” prequel nations Thursday, including age. Lis Bunnell, president
in China. Considering the along with ‘Mary Poppins “Bumblebee” played a best picture, comedy or of distribution for Focus,
checkered recent history of Returns’ and ‘Bumblebee’ one-night sneak preview musical, and acting nods said the film’s modern spin
in 326 theaters nationwide for Emily Blunt and Lin-Man- “made it resonate with
ahead of its Dec. 21 re- uel Miranda. audiences in a powerful
lease. Paramount declined The feel-good interra- way paralleling so much of
to share ticket figures but cial road trip period tale what is still going on today
domestic distribution chief “Green Book” fared even for women.”q

Study finds female-led films

outperform male ones

By JAKE COYLE
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — A study
organized by Time’s Up, the
organization formed to pro-
mote gender equality, has
found that female-led films
consistently outperform
male-led movies at the box
office. The study analyzed
the 350 top-grossing films
worldwide released be-
tween January 2014 and
December 2017.
Researchers found that in
films with small, medium This image released by Warner Bros. Entertainment shows Gal
and large budgets, all aver- Gadot in a scene from “Wonder Woman.”
aged better global grosses Associated Press
when a woman was listed tech company shift7, found Bechdel, rates whether a
as the lead star. that films that passed the movie featuring two fe-
The study, conducted by Bechdel test do better, too. male characters having a
the talent agency Creative The Bechdel test, an inven- conversation about some-
Artists Agency and the tion of the cartoonist Alison thing other than a man.q