'Gran Turismo' takes narrow lead over 'Barbie' in North America
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Sony's "Gran Turismo," a film based on the popular video game, earned an estimated $17.3 million in ticket sales from Friday to Sunday.
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This image released by Sonic Pictures shows Mariano Gonzalez, from left, Darren Barnet, Maximilian Mundt, Archie Madekwe, Harki Bhambra, and Pepe Baroso in a scene from 'Gran Turismo'. (AP)
Sony's "Gran Turismo" had a modest opening weekend at the North American box office, but it was enough to top the chart on a slow weekend in late August. The film beat out Warner Bros. "Barbie," which also had a soft opening.
The film is based on the popular video game and earned an estimated $17.3 million in ticket sales from Friday to Sunday, according to industry tracker Exhibitor Relations.
"The opening weekend gross of $17.3 million for Sony's 'Gran Turismo' is a relatively modest figure for an action film based on a video game," said analyst David A. Gross.
He pointed to the success of other video game adaptations, such as "Warcraft" ($439 million) and "Rampage" ($428 million), as evidence that "Gran Turismo" could have performed better.
Sony's movie stars, David Harbour and Orlando Bloom, are in a story about a racing academy that trains skilled video gamers to become professional race car drivers. The film had a modest opening weekend gross of $17.3 million, but it was enough to top the box office on a slow weekend in late August Warner Bros.
"Barbie," meanwhile, has had a more successful run, with its $17.1 million take in its sixth week out propelling it to a $594 million domestic total.
The Greta Gerwig-directed film "Barbie" recently surpassed "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" ($574 million) to become the highest-grossing domestic film of 2023. With an additional $745 million earned overseas, "Barbie" has a worldwide box office gross of over $1.3 billion.
Read more: 'Beetle' surpasses 'Barbie' with $25.4M debut: Box office
Despite topping the box office this weekend, analysts are still skeptical of Sony's accounting of ticket sales for "Gran Turismo".
They argue that the inclusion of millions in pre-sales may have artificially inflated the numbers, and that "Barbie" could still be the weekend's number one movie in the final tally.
DC Studios and Warner Bros. superhero film "Blue Beetle" dropped to third place at the box office last weekend, with $12.8 million in ticket sales.
This represents a nearly 50% drop from its previous weekend's earnings. The film stars Xolo Mariduena as the titular character, making him the first live-action Latino superhero protagonist.
Universal Pictures' "Oppenheimer" took fourth place at the box office this weekend, with an estimated $9 million in ticket sales.
The film, which tells the story of the development of the atomic bomb, has now surpassed $300 million in domestic earnings, with an additional $477 million overseas.
Paramount Pictures' animated film "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem" came in fifth place at the box office this weekend, with $6.1 million in ticket sales.
The film is the latest chapter in the popular "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" franchise, which follows the adventures of four mutant turtles who fight crime in New York City.
