Biopic 42 opens in no. 1 at the US box office this weekend, beating expectations and battling in $27.3 millions. Written and directed by Brian Helgeland (LA confidential), The film tells the story of Jackie Robinson (played by Chadwick Boseman), the first African American to rise to the top of the Baseball game and play for the Brooklyn Dodgers, with the help of the team manager Branch Rickey (played by Harrison Ford).
Horror pic parody, Scary Movie 5, debuted in the second place, settling for $15.2 million, far below the $40 million opening that Scary Movie 4 registered seven years ago. The film features Charlie Sheen, Lindsay Lohan, Simon Rex and Ahsley Tisdale.
The third spot was claimed by the prehistoric animated pic The Croods, which drew $13.2 millions over the weekend, bringing its domestic gross to $142.5 million. The picture was also ranked no. 2 overseas with $25.5 million, reaching a total of $244.8 million. Its worldwide cume currently stands at $387.3 million.
Actioner G.I. Joe: Retaliation landed in the fourth spot, picking $10.8 in its third weekend and bringing its tally to $102.4 million.
Last weekend’s box office champion, Evil Dead, fell to the fifth place with $9.5 million, reaching a total domestic gross of $41.5 million. It was also ranked no. 3 at the international box office with $2.9 million, bringing its foreign cume to $10 million.
The biggest weekend winner, however, was Tom Cruise’s Oblivion, which topped the international box office and grossed $61 million, marking the biggest opening of a 2D film this year and Cruises biggest opening of all time.
Directed by Joseph Kosinski on a budget of $120 and based on his unpublished novel, the sci-fi picture follows Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) and Victoria Olsen (Andrea Riseborough) whose mission is to exterminate the remaining invading aliens, who had destroyed the planet.
Oblivion will face 42 in the US box office next week.