‘Shazam!’ Unseats ‘Dumbo’ to Open as Weekend's Top Film

(Bloomberg) -- The Warner Bros. superhero movie “Shazam!” opened as the top film in North American theaters, unseating last weekend’s leader, the Walt Disney Co. revival of “Dumbo.”

• The lighthearted superhero film based on the DC Comics character brought in $53.5 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters, researcher Comscore Inc. said Monday in an email. That compared with estimates of $48 million to $50 million. Paramount’s remake of “Pet Sematary” landed in second place, while STX’s “The Best of Enemies” opened in sixth place.

Key Insights

• The latest DC Comics film from AT&T Inc.’s film division adds some fun to a Warner franchise that developed a dark reputation with “The Dark Knight” and “Man of Steel.” Reviews for “Shazam!” have been upbeat, with 91 percent of critics recommending the movie, according to Rotten Tomatoes. About a foster kid with super powers, “Shazam!” cost about $100 million to make and millions more to market. Worldwide, the weekend take was $158.6 million.
• “Pet Sematary” checked in with sales of $24.5 million, missing estimates of about $30 million. About 61 percent of critics recommended the film. “The Best of Enemies” garnered a 52 percent score at Rotten Tomatoes. Analysts were predicting sales of $5 million to $7 million.
• Exhibitors closed the weekend with year-to-date sales down 16 percent. But in three weeks, Disney kicks off the summer movie season a little earlier than usual with the release of “Avengers: Endgame.”

Get More

• See the weekend release schedule here.
• See Box Office Pro’s long-range forecast

To contact the reporter on this story: Hailey Waller in New York at hwaller@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: James Ludden at jludden@bloomberg.net, Rob Golum, Kevin Miller

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