It's no illusion: The third installment in the thieving magician Now You See Me series beat the high-profile action pic The Running Man at the North American box office this weekend. Lionsgate's Now You See Me: Now You Don't pulled in $21.3 million, while Paramount's The Running Man made $17 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. Now You See Me, which cost a reported $90 million to produce, comes almost 10 years after the second film. Including ticket sales from 64 international territories, its worldwide opening is estimated to be around $75.5 million, the AP reports.
This installment, directed by Ruben Fleischer, sees the return of the original "Four Horsemen," Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher and Dave Franco, and introduces three younger magicians into the mix: Dominic Sessa, Ariana Greenblatt, and Justice Smith. A fourth film is already in the works. Reviews were mixed on Rotten Tomatoes, coming in at 59%. According to PostTrak polling, audiences were a bit more positive, with 63% saying they would definitely recommend. Audience scores were slightly lower for The Running Man, which stars Glen Powell and had a 58% "definitely recommend." Worldwide, it earned $28.2 million against a reported $110 million budget. Both films earned a B+ CinemaScore, but more people chose the franchise.
With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at US and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:
- Now You See Me: Now You Don't, $21.3 million.
- The Running Man, $17 million.
- Predator: Badlands, $13 million.
- Regretting You, $4 million.
- Black Phone 2, $2.7 million.
- Nuremberg, $2.6 million.
- Keeper, $2.5 million.
- Sarah's Oil, $2.3 million.
- Bugonia" and Chainsaw Man–The Movie: Reze Arc, (tie) $1.6 million.
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