The more modest Winnie-the-Pooh live-action revival opened with a relatively ho-hum $25 million.<\/b>
\nNEW YORK (AP) \u2014 Tom Cruise sped past Winnie-the-Pooh at the box office to lead all films for the second straight week with an estimated $35 million in ticket sales for \u201cMission Impossible \u2014 Fallout.\u201d
The success of Paramount Pictures\u2019 sixth, stunt-filled \u201cMission: Impossible\u201d installment, along with muted enthusiasm for the Walt Disney Co.\u2019s \u201cChristopher Robin,\u201d made for a seldom-seen result: A Disney movie debuting in second place.
In a year where the studio has already notched three $1 billion films worldwide (\u201cBlack Panther,\u201d \u201dAvengers: Infinity War\u201d and, as of this week, \u201cIncredibles 2\u201d), the more modest Winnie-the-Pooh live-action revival opened with a relatively ho-hum $25 million.
As a reminder that \u201cChristopher Robin\u201d was a minor release for Disney, \u201cBlack Panther\u201d on Sunday became the third film to ever cross $700 million domestically, a feat only previously accomplished by \u201cAvatar\u201d and \u201cStar Wars: The Force Awakens.\u201d
Made for an estimated $75 million, Marc Forster\u2019s \u201cChristopher Robin\u201d stars Ewan McGregor as a grown-up Christopher Robin reunited with the beloved characters of the Hundred Acre Wood: Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and the rest (who are rendered digitally but convincingly felt-like).
While reviews were mixed, audiences gave it an \u201cA\u201d CinemaScore.
Cathleen Taff, head of distribution for Disney, said there\u2019s room for non-tentpole releases in the Disney slate.
\u201cIt\u2019s one of our smaller films and it\u2019s really focused on character and emotion,\u201d said Taff. \u201cWe\u2019re happy with where it\u2019s at and we think it\u2019s got some runway being one of the only family options going forward.\u201d
Taff confirmed that \u201cChristopher Robin\u201d has been denied a release in China, locking the release out from the world\u2019s second largest film market.
While China provides no reason for the films it doesn\u2019t select for its theaters, government sensors have recently been blocking images of Winnie-the-Pooh after bloggers began using him to parody Chinese president Xi Jinping.
The late-summer success of \u201cMission: Impossible\u201d \u2014 which has made $124.5 million thus far along with $205 million internationally \u2014 is helping solidify a comeback summer for Hollywood.
The summer box office is up 10.6 percent from last year\u2019s record-low season, according to comScore, and year-to-date ticket sales are up 8 percent.
\u201cAs we head into what is almost always the slowest month at the summer box office, we have some nice momentum going,\u201d said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comScore. \u201cWith a 10.6 percent increase over the summer last year, we\u2019re going to maintain a solid advantage when we get to the end of the month.\u201d
Not all the news was great. Comedy continues to struggle at the box office. The R-rated action-comedy \u201cThe Spy Who Dumped Me,\u201d starring Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon, debuted in third with $12.4 million for Lionsgate.
And a pair of poorly reviewed releases sputtered in nationwide release. Fox\u2019s young-adult dystopian thriller \u201cThe Darkest Minds\u201d (19 percent \u201cfresh\u201d on Rotten Tomatoes) opened with $5.7 million on 3,127 screens. And right-wing filmmaker Dinesh D\u2019Souza\u2019s \u201cDeath of a Nation\u201d (0 percent \u201cfresh\u201d on Rotten Tomatoes) debuted with $2.3 million on 1,032 screens.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U. S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday also are included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
4. \u201cMamma Mia! Here We Go Again,\u201d $9.1 million ($19.3 million international).
10. \u201cTeen Titans Go! To the Movies,\u201d $4.9 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theaters (excluding the U. S. and Canada), according to comScore:
3. \u201cAlong With the Gods: The Last 49 Days,\u201d $37.3 million.
4. \u201cMamma Mia! Here We Go Again,\u201d $19.3 million.
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.<\/p>\n

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