New film “Uncharted,” which is based on a video game, took the top spot at the North American box office, having earned $44.1 million U.S. between Friday and Sunday.
Uncharted received mixed reviews but was helped by the fact that it is rated PG-13 and based on an extremely popular video game series. The movie is expected to earn $52 million U.S. from 4,275 North American theatres through the President’s Day holiday on Monday (February 21).
Uncharted follows the globe-trotting treasure hunter Nathan Drake (actor Tom Holland) and his wisecracking partner Sully (Mark Wahlberg) as they embark on a death-defying quest to uncover the greatest treasure never found.
Uncharted wasn’t the only new nationwide release to beat expectations. Channing Tatum’s PG-13 canine adventure “Dog” landed in second place with $15.1 million U.S. from 3,677 locations. The road-trip buddy comedy follows a former Army Ranger and his dog as they race down the Pacific Coast in hopes of making it to a fellow soldier’s funeral on time.
Murder mystery film “Death on the Nile,” based on an Agatha Christie novel, sunk to fourth place at the North American box office in its second week of release. After debuting last weekend with a leading $12.8 million U.S., the film earned just $6.3 million U.S. from 3,280 theatres, a 51% decline.
The comedy film “Jackass Forever” rounded out the top five films with $5.2 million U.S. from 3,071 locations.