The third instalment of the crime-heist franchise, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, debuted at number one at the North American box office, outpacing Paramount’s remake of The Running Man, industry estimates showed Sunday.
Lionsgate’s film, reuniting Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, and Woody Harrelson as Robin Hood-style magicians targeting dangerous criminals, earned US$21.3 million (RM87 million) from Friday to Sunday, according to Exhibitor Relations.
The new instalment introduces three younger magicians – Ariana Greenblatt, Dominic Sessa, and Justice Smith – joining the original Four Horsemen, who first appeared on screen in 2013.
Analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research commented, “There aren’t a lot of crime heist series that get to episode three because it’s so hard to keep these stories fresh. These characters are connecting well with audiences, and the numbers reflect that.”
Paramount’s The Running Man, a modern take on Stephen King’s dystopian novel about a deadly game show, opened in second place with US$17 million. The remake comes 38 years after the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger adaptation. Gross noted that the storyline showed signs of age, limiting audience excitement.
Disney’s Predator: Badlands dropped from first to third, earning US$13 million. The sci-fi horror entry stars Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as an outcast Predator who allies with an android (played by Elle Fanning) on a quest to prove himself.
Other top performers include Paramount’s Regretting You, adapted from Colleen Hoover’s romance novel, at US$4 million, and Universal’s horror sequel Black Phone 2, starring Ethan Hawke, at US$2.7 million.
