LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” has returned its webs to the top of the box office rankings while “The Flash” has experienced a faster decline than the fast-paced movie character.
The animated Spidey movie — starring Shameik Moore as teen web-slinger Miles Morales — regained the top spot in its fourth week in North American theaters, grossing $19.3 million. The latest number helped the Sony film gross $317.1 million domestically and $560.3 million worldwide.
“It’s very rare for a movie like this to crawl and spin the web to number one,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at comScore. “It’s a testament to the quality of the movie. This is a very competitive and crowded summer movie market. However, ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ has the distinction of being one of the biggest movies this summer.”
“Spider-Verse” overtook “Elemental”, which took second place for the second week in a row, with an estimated $18.5 million. The film held up immediately after last week had Pixar’s worst three-day opening.
No other movie has seen such a dramatic decline as “The Flash,” which grossed $15.2 million for its big budget offering. The second week’s production of the DC and Warner Bros superhero movie, starring Ezra Miller, dropped 72% after opening to less than $55 million.
So far, the running numbers for “The Flash” haven’t been measured in a movie with a production budget of $200 million. Some credit the film’s struggles to Miller’s off-screen behavior that included arrests and misconduct. The actor has apologized and sought psychiatric treatment.
“Sometimes it’s not the opening weekend that tells the whole story — especially with ‘Elemental,'” Dergarabedian said. overcome it.”
“The Flash” barely outdid “No Hard Feelings,” starring Jennifer Lawrence and Andrew Barth Feldman. The Sony R-rated comedy, which opened in fourth place with $15.1 million, tells the story of the parents of a teen who hires a woman (Lawrence) to date and boost his self-confidence.
With “Spider-Verse” and “No Hard Feelings” in mind, Dergarabedian said Sony should be pleased about the turnout for both films.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts came in fifth place, grossing $11.6 million in its third week, with a total of $122.9 million. It was ahead of Wes Anderson’s “Asteroid City,” which did better than expected with $9 million.
In seventh place, “The Little Mermaid” took in $8.6 million for a total of over $270 million.
Dergarabedian said he expects a good draw in “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” which opens June 30.
“Regardless of the reviews. I know the reviews have been mixed. But a summer movie fan who wants to go to the movies, you can’t sit outside of this movie,” he said. “It will really be the audience that decides the ultimate success of this movie.”
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday in US and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final local numbers will be published on Monday.
1. “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” $19.3 million.
2. “Elemental,” $18.4 million.
3. The Flash” $15.2 million.
4. “No Hard Feelings” 15.1 million.
5. “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” $11.6 million.
6. “Asteroid City,” $9 million
7. “The Little Mermaid,” $8.6 million
8. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” $3.5 million
9. The Blackening: $3 million