Lindsay Barr
Associated Press Film Writer
Idris Elba may go head-to-head with the lion in “The Beast,” but the action movie can’t quite match the latest “Dragon Ball” movie at the North American box office last weekend.
“Dragon Ball Super: Super Heroes” topped the charts in its first weekend in theaters, earning $20.1 million at the box office, according to studio estimates Sunday. Meanwhile, The Beast took second place with $11.6 million.
Crunchyroll released Dragon Ball Super: Super Heroes on 3,900 screens in North America, marking the most extensive anime opening ever. Toei Animation’s production is directed by Kodama Tetsuro, who has the support of “Dragon Ball” creator Akira Toriyama.
The Dragon Ball universe is nearly 40 years old and includes comics, TV shows, movies, games, and toys.
“We are very excited that Dragon Ball fans can come together in theaters to experience and enjoy this amazing film,” Mitchell Berger, the distributor’s senior vice president of global commercial, said in a statement. “Crunchyroll would like to thank all of our fans, whether you’re a ‘super’ fan or a newcomer, we hope they come back again and again.”
According to PostTrak, the audience for Dragon Ball Super is predominantly male (79%), with 44% of viewers between the ages of 25 and 34.
“Japanese anime is a cinematic tradition, but very few films like this top the domestic charts,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “It’s pretty incredible to be ahead of all the other mainstream Hollywood movies. It speaks volumes about the globalization of the box office.”
Meanwhile, The Beast was released on 3,743 screens in North America. Directed by Baltasar Kormakur (“Mount Everest”), the film stars Elba as the widowed father of two teenage girls, played by Iyana Halley and Leah Jeffries, who find themselves fleeing bloodthirsty lions on a trip to South Africa .
Meanwhile, Sony’s “Bullet Train” took the No. 1 spot after two weekends with an $8 million valuation, bringing its total domestic revenue to $68.9 million.
