The Karate Kid opens atop North America box office
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Two remakes of 1980s swept into the top two positions of the domestic box office over the weekend, with The Karate Kid starring Chinese Kungfu master Jackie Chan rising to the top of the box office derby, the North America box office authority projected on Sunday.
Shown on 5,200 screens at 3,663 theaters, the Sony/Columbia's family-orientated action which also stars 11-year-old Jaden Smith, is expected to take in 56 million US dollars in ticket receipts, or over double what it was predicted to make due to Jackie Chan's terrific performance, great marketing campaign and perfect release date, the authority said. It garnered an estimated 18.8 million U. S. dollars in receipts on Friday, delivering the fifth highest- grossing opening day of the year so far.
Some critics have pointed out that since the release of Shrek Forever After on May 21, the North America box office has been topped every weekend by a children's film. Another 1980's remake, The A Team which casts Liam Neeson and Bradley Cooper, fetched an estimated 26 million US dollars on around 5,200 screens at 3,535 theaters.
An action film based on the television series of the same name, the 20th Century Fox flick should stay in the summer mix for the next few weeks due to its good reviews and solid word-of-mouth, the authority predicted.
Shrek Forever After, the fourth and final installment of the Shrek franchise, was relegated to third place with 15.8 million US dollars after staying atop the box office billing for three weeks in a row. The animated flick has raised its domestic haul to 210 million US dollars, becoming the fourth movie released this year to top 200-million-USdollar mark.
Last week's number two, Universal's adult comedy Get Him to the Greek has grossed 10.1 million US dollars in domestic market for a two weeks' total of 36.5 million US dollars.
Independent moviemaker Lionsgate's Killers was fifth with 8. 2 million US dollars in ticket receipts from theaters in Canada and the United States. The spy romantic comedy, which starring Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl and debuted at No.3 last weekend, has taken in to date a total of 30.7 million US dollars.
