Disney's live-action Lilo and Stitch movie continues to pack in audiences worldwide, and is well on its way to becoming the year's first billion dollar release.
The family-friendly adventure claimed the No. 1 spot at the domestic box office for the third consecutive weekend with $32.5 million from 4,185 venues, and has now taken in a total of $335.8 million domestically and $772 million globally.
Unfortunately, things aren't looking quite as positive for Ballerina.
Lionsgate's first John Wick spin-off, starring Ana de Armas as a dancer-turned-assassin, debuted behind already modest expectations with $25 million from 3,409 North American theaters. The R-rated action flick took in another $26 million from 82 countries overseas for a global start of $51 million. Ballerina had a reported production budget of $90 million, which is significantly more than the first three John Wick films.
Despite decent reviews and an A- CinemaScore, Ballerina simply doesn't seem to have enticed much of the John Wick franchise's fanbase into theaters this weekend.
“This is a weak opening for an action thriller spin-off,” says analyst David A. Gross of movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. “Audiences are enthusiastic about the movie, they just aren’t attending in big numbers.”
Elsewhere in the box office charts, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning dropped to No. 3 with $15 million from 3,496 theaters in its third weekend of release. Karate Kid: Legends took fourth place with $8.7 million in its second weekend in theaters, and Final Destination: Bloodlines rounded out the top five with $6.4 million from 2,867 locations in its fourth weekend.
We have some potential heavy hitters such as 28 Years Later, Elio, How To Train Your Dragon and F1 still to come this month. Will one of them manage to knock Lilo and Stitch off the top spot?
The new movie's synopsis reads: "Lilo and Stitch tells the story of the bond formed between a lonely human girl named Lilo and a dog-like alien named Stitch, who is engineered to be a force of destruction. Pursuing aliens, social workers, and the idea of the bond of family figure into the proceedings."
Newcomer Maia Kealoha plays Lilo, and the cast also includes Zach Galifianakis, Sydney Agudong, Billy Magnussen, Courtney B. Vance, and original animated movie voice actors Tia Carrere, Amy Hill, and Jason Scott Lee. Chris Sanders once again voices Stitch.
Dean Fleischer Camp (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On) directs Lilo & Stitch from a script by Chris Kekaniokalani Bright, based on a previous draft by Mike Van Wess. Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich are producing under their Rideback production banner.