King LeBron reigns again as new 'Space Jam' tops NAmerica box office
'Space Jam: A New Legacy' rocketed to the top of the North American box office over the weekend.
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - New Warner Bros. release "Space Jam: A New Legacy" rocketed to the top of the North American box office over the weekend, taking in an estimated $31.6 million in the best showing of a family film since Covid first hammered the industry.
The live action/animated movie -- a sequel nearly 25 years after the original "Space Jam" with Michael Jordan -- has NBA superstar LeBron James teaming up with Bugs Bunny and other Looney Tunes characters in a high-stakes basketball game against a rogue artificial-intelligence entity threatening his son.
The film s surprise showing, despite middling-to-terrible reviews -- the New York Post called it an "abomination" -- propelled it past last weekend s leader, Disney superhero film "Black Widow."
That Marvel Studios production, starring Scarlett Johansson, took in $25.6 million in the Friday-through-Sunday period, down sharply from its $80.4 million opening, according to industry watcher Exhibitor Relations.
In third place was Sony s psychological thriller "Escape Room: Tournament of Champions," at $8.8 million. Taylor Russell and Logan Miller, reprising their roles in 2019 s "Escape Room," face a series of deadly traps and puzzles set by the evil Minos.
Fourth place went to Universal s "F9: The Fast Saga," at $7.6 million, bringing the four-week domestic total of the Vin Diesel/John Cena action thriller to $154 million.
And in fifth was Universal s animated "Boss Baby: Family Business," at $4.7 million.
Meantime, "Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain" -- the Focus Features/CNN Films movie about the world-traveling chef -- had the best opening of a documentary this year, at $1.9 million.
