It was a closely contested race for the top spot at the box office this weekend, but the Xenomorph managed to chest burst its way through Star-Lord.
In #1 is Alien: Covenant (read our review), which brought in $36 million in its first three days. That was in line with expectations going into Friday, though the total is a far cry from the debut of its predecessor Prometheus ($51 million). The reasoning for this is probably twofold. First, Covenant faced stiff competition from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which - while PG-13 - was still going after a similar genre audience. Also, the critical reception was generally positive, though not very enthusiastic. Many pundits felt it was simply a hybrid of the best elements of the previous Alien installments and didn't bring much new to the table. Combined with the mixed reactions to Prometheus, it seems like interest was substantially lower this time around.
It will be interesting to see how Covenant holds up as it progresses through its run. The summer calendar is only going to get more crowded when Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and Wonder Woman enter theaters in the next couple of weeks, and both of those projects are tracking well commercially. The good news for Fox is thanks to the international box office, Covenant has already made back its production budget and stands at $117.8 million worldwide. It still has a ways to go before it can be considered a strong success and turn a profit for the studio, but it's off to a solid enough start.
Coming in second after two weeks on top is the aforementioned Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 with $35 million. Marvel's latest continues to do well at the box office and now stands at $301.7 million domestically. The sequel has almost surpassed the total of its predecessor in just three weeks.
Opening in third place is the new YA romantic drama Everything, Everything (read our review), which brought in $12 million in its first weekend. Though reactions to the film skewed negative, it was able to appeal to the teenage demographic and stand out as counter-programming for that section of moviegoers. The movie was not a crossover hit and struggled to gain traction beyond its niche, but it didn't really need to be that kind of film for Warner Bros. The budget was a cheap $10 million, and it made all that back in three days. Odds are it will be a modest success by the time it bows out, serving as an option for those looking for a break from blockbuster spectacle.
In fourth is Snatched with $7.6 million. The comedy has now grossed $32.7 million in the States.
Rounding out the top five is Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul. The sequel in the long-running kids franchise earned just $7.2 million in its first three days, by far the lowest in the series (and less than half of what 2012's Dog Days brought in during its debut). Negative reviews didn't do it any favors, and children were probably still interested in the space opera thrills of Guardians with Baby Groot. It might be time for Fox to close the book on this property, since there doesn't appear to be much demand anymore.
The #6 film is King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. Earning $6.8 million in its second weekend, the infamous bomb is now at $27.2 million domestically.
Action sequel The Fate of the Furious speeds into seventh place, making $3.1 million. The hit raised its domestic total to $219.8 million.
DreamWorks' The Boss Baby came in eighth with $2.8 million. The animated film now stands at $166.1 million.
Beauty and the Beast is still hanging around, coming in ninth place 10 weeks into its theatrical run. Disney's latest smash increased its U.S. total to $497.7 million.
Capping off the top 10 is How to be a Latin Lover with $2.2 million. The film is now at $29.4 million.
[NOTE: These are only weekend box office estimates -- based on Friday and Saturday ticket sales coupled with adjusted expectations for Sunday. Official weekend box office results will be released on Monday, May 22 -- at which time we'll update this post with any changes.]
Source: Box Office Mojo