NEW YORK (AP) – While director Francis Ford Coppola’s decades-long, self-financed blockbuster “Megalopolis” was a huge flop among moviegoers, DreamWorks Animation’s critically acclaimed family film “ ‘Wild Robot’ soared to number one at the weekend box office.
“Wild Robots,” director Chris Saunders’ adaptation of Peter Brown’s bestseller, exceeded release expectations with $35 million in ticket sales at U.S. and Canadian theaters, studios estimated on Sunday. . “Wild Robot” was poised to do well after critics raved about the story of a shipwrecked robot who raises orphaned geese. Audiences agreed, giving the film a CinemaScore. “Wild Robot” is likely to be a long-term, high-grossing film for Universal Pictures.
Megalopolis, Coppola’s idea of a Roman epic set in modern-day New York, was never expected to perform anywhere near that level. But for a film in which Coppola himself invested $120 million, the $4 million debut price was still a hefty sum. After its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, critics had mixed opinions on Coppola’s first film in 13 years. Audiences gave it a D+ CinemaScore.
Even by economic standards, Megalopolis was a huge failure. But Coppola, 85, insisted from the beginning that money was not his concern. Coppola crafted the film, which he first began making in the late 1970s, as a grand personal expression of human potential.
“Everyone is so worried about money,” Coppola told The Associated Press in an interview ahead of the film’s release. “I say this: Spend less money and have more friends.”
The studio took over “Megalopolis” after Cannes. Lionsgate eventually agreed to distribute it for a fee. Mr. Coppola also received most of the $15 million in marketing costs. The film, starring Adam Driver, Nathalie Emmanuel and Aubrey Plaza, was also shown in about 200 IMAX venues and accounted for $1.8 million in ticket sales.
After spending three weeks at the top of the box office, Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice slipped to second place with $16 million in its fourth weekend. Warner Bros.’ sequel to 1988’s Beetlejuice, starring Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder, grossed $250 million domestically in its first month of release.
In third place was the Transformers prequel “Transformers One” starring Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry. After a lower-than-expected premiere last weekend, the Paramount-released film raked in nearly $9 million in its second weekend.
Jason Reitman’s “Saturday Night” was also released in theaters. It is a loving dramatization of the nightly sketch comedy show that first aired in 1975. That same weekend, the NBC series began its 50th season, and Reitman’s film opened in five cities: New York and New York. Los Angeles theaters raised $265,000, which translates to a hefty $53,000 per theater average. “Saturday Night” will be released nationwide in two weeks.
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