US box office: Doctor Strange still on top; Arrival opens strong

Marvel’s Doctor Strange continues to set the US box office alight with another stellar weekend to retain the top spot in the chart. The film, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role, dropped just 49% in its second weekend to gross $43million Friday – Sunday according to Box Office Mojo. Internationally, the film also added $60.2million to bring its worldwide gross to just over $492million.

In 2nd place again was Dreamworks’ animated smash Trolls which brought in around $35million, dropping just 24.8% from its opening weekend gross. Featuring the voices of Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick, the film has now brought in around $94million domestically with a worldwide collective gross of $222million.

The highest placed new entry was at No.3 where Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival landed. The sci-fi drama starring Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner, opened to $24million and is looking at a healthy run that could see the film earn around $85million. The film cost $40million to make.

At the speciality box office, Ang Lee’s anticipated new film Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk opened in two theatres and earned an estimated gross of $120,300 and an impressive $60,150 per-theatre average. The drama, which stars Kristen Stewart, Vin Diesel, Steve Martin and debutant Joe Alwyn, expands to 1,100 theatres next week.

This Friday sees the long-awaited debut of Warner Bros’ Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, which will undoubtedly top the chart; Miles Teller boxing biopic Bleed For This, and acclaimed teen comedy-drama The Edge of Seventeen.