The second film in Universal’s “Freddy’s” franchise – about animatronic characters at a pizza shop, the tween girl (Piper Rubio) who befriends them, and the murderous if cheesy events that follow – brought in US$63 million in the Friday-through-Sunday period, Exhibitor Relations reported.
It earned another US$46 million internationally.
“Critics’ reviews are poor, but the genre is immune to reviews,” said David A Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.
“The audience score is more important, and it’s very good for a horror picture, although not as good as the first pic.”
Sliding to second spot was another sequel, Disney’s feel-good animated film “Zootopia 2.”
The buddy cop comedy featuring a menagerie of talking animals battling stereotypes earned US$43 million, for a two-week total of US$220 million and a worldwide haul nearing the US$1 billion mark.
Dropping one spot to third place, with US$16.8 million in its third weekend, was “Wicked: For Good,” Universal’s second chapter in the musical saga of Oz’s most notable witches – the green-skinned, outcast Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and popular pink-wearing Glinda (Ariana Grande).
The “Wizard of Oz” retelling is based on the long-running Broadway musical, itself adapted from Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel.
“Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution” landed in fourth spot in its debut. The anime-based tale of violent sorcery released by GKIDS earned US$10.2 million.
In fifth with US$3.5 million was Lionsgate’s “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t,” the third instalment in the crime heist franchise.
Rounding out the top 10 were:
- “Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair” (US$3.3 million)
- “Eternity” (US$2.7 million)
- “Hamnet” (US$2.3 million)
- “Predator: Badlands” (US$1.9 million)
- “Merrily We Roll Along” (US$1.2 million)