Box Office: ‘Shazam!’ Flying to $50 Million-Plus Debut
Warner Bros.’ “Shazam!” is powering to the top of the domestic box office with an estimated $51 million from 4,217 North American locations in its debut.
The DC and New Line superhero story drew $20.5 million domestically on Friday along with $29.2 million globally. “Shazam’s” international cume is currently sitting at $44 million.
Related stories
Box Office: 'Shazam!' Dominates Overseas With $102 Million, 'Dumbo' Crosses $200 Million Globally
Box Office: 'Shazam!' Flying to $50 Million-Plus Debut
Asher Angel stars in the film as a young boy named Billy Batson who transforms into the titular adult superhero (Zachary Levi) when he says “Shazam.” David F. Sandberg directed from a script by Henry Gayden. The film has received an A CinemaScore and a 91% certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Paramount’s remake of “Pet Sematary” should conjure up about $23 million from 3,585 domestic sites after taking in around $10 million on Friday to land in second.
Kevin K?lsch and Dennis Widmyer directed the second film adaptation of Stephen King’s novel, which stars John Lithgow, Jason Clarke, and Amy Seitmetz. It has a 61% on Rotten Tomatoes and a C+ CinemaScore — fairly typical for horror flicks.
Meanwhile, three top-performing holdovers will round out the top five at the box office. Disney’s live-action reimagining of “Dumbo” should pocket another $18 million in its second frame, while the third weekend of Jordan Peele’s “Us” will likely land in fourth with $14 million. Disney-Marvel’s “Captain Marvel” should drop into fifth with an estimated $12 million in its fifth frame.
“Dumbo’s” estimate marks a steep 60% decline for the large-eared elephant. It’s totaled $136 million worldwide since its release, with $62 million from domestic theaters.
Horror pic “Us” has totaled $142 million Stateside for Universal since its Mar. 22 release along with another $46 million domestically. “Captain Marvel” crossed the $1 billion mark worldwide earlier this week.
Opening at a distant No. 6 is STX Films’ “The Best of Enemies,” which is estimated to debut with $4 million from 1,705 theaters. It earned $1.62 million on Friday.
Sam Rockwell and Taraji P. Henson star as Ann Atwater and C.P. Ellis, an outspoken civil rights activist and a Ku Klux Klan leader, respectively, who reluctantly co-chair a community summit, battling over the desegregation of schools in Durham, North Carolina during the racially-charged summer of 1971. The film has received an A CinemaScore.
Neon’s Aretha Franklin documentary “Amazing Grace” will grace eight theaters this weekend for an estimated $87,000.
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
