Whole New ‘Aladdin’ Takes No. 1 Spot From ‘John Wick’

(Bloomberg) -- Walt Disney Co.’s live-action revival of “Aladdin” opened as the top film in North American theaters this weekend, exceeding forecasts and unseating Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.’s “John Wick: Chapter 3 -- Parabellum.”

• The film brought in $116.8 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters over the four-day U.S. Memorial Day weekend, according to research firm Comscore Inc. That topped the company’s forecast and those of box-office analysts.

Key Insights

• Remaking classic films is a key part of Disney’s strategy, but the track record has been mixed. A live-action revival of “Dumbo” stumbled in March, and 2016’s “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” which also came on a Memorial Day weekend, was a dud.
• The new take on the 1992 animated feature “Aladdin” casts Will Smith as the genie, entrusting him with a role made famous by Robin Williams. Mena Massoud plays Aladdin, Princess Jasmine is played by Naomi Scott, and there’s new music written by Tony and Oscar winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.
• The better-than-expected sales for “Aladdin” helped boost weekend sales for the top 10 films by 26 from a year earlier, according to Comscore. That’s also helped theater operators claw their way back from a dismal start to 2019. Year-to-date sales are down 7.9% from a year ago after a far steeper decline earlier.

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• Two other new releases -- “Brightburn” from Sony and “Booksmart” from United Artists Releasing -- opened in fifth place and sixth place, respectively.
• See the weekend release schedule here.
• See Box Office Pro’s long-range forecast

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