Fox's reboot of The Predator opened up this weekend at the domestic box office with $24 million, locking in at the No. 1 slot after debuting in 4,037 theaters on the homefront, marking the fifth widest release in history for an R-rated title.
While it reeled in enough to sit at the top spot, it's a rather disappointing showing for the $88 million film. Overseas, it only managed to pull in $30.7 million in 72 markets, bringing in $54.7 million globally. Currently, the film has a CinemaScore of C+.
The movie originally premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, and, prior to its official debut, experienced a bit of controversy after star Olivia Munn revealed that Fox was forced to cut a scene after she discovered that one of the film's minor actors, Steven Wilder Striegel, was a registered sex offender who previously served jail time for a sex crime involving a minor.
Despite this, it didn't appear to have any negative impact on the film's commercial performance. "Any conversation raises awareness," says comScore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian. "If people are talking about it then they're aware of the movie."
At No. 2, you'll find The Nun, which earned 18.2 million in its second weekend, bringing its gross to just over $85 million while Lionsgate's A Simple Favor, starring Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively, opens up at No. 3 with $16.1 million.
"It stood out in the marketplace," said David Spitz, Lionsgate's distribution president. "It kind of became an event film. That's why we exceeded expectations."
Rounding out the top 5 are White Boy Rick, the film based on the teenage FB informant of the same moniker, earning $8.8 million and Crazy Rich Asians which added $8.7 million to its grand total.
