New Bob Marley film gets box office love in N.America theaters

New Bob Marley film gets box office love in N.America theaters

Entertainment

Lashana Lynch plays Rita Marley, and son Ziggy Marley is one of the film's producers

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Los Angeles (AFP) – Paramount's new musical biopic "Bob Marley: One Love" enjoyed the adoration of North American theatergoers this weekend, topping the box office with estimated earnings of $27.7 million, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday.

"This is an excellent opening for a musical biography," analyst David A. Gross said, adding that the film was doing much better with audiences than with critics.

British actor Kingsley Ben-Adir, who plays the iconic reggae singer in the story of his rapid rise and too-soon death, previously drew attention for his portrayal of Malcolm X in "One Night in Miami."

Lashana Lynch plays Rita Marley, and son Ziggy Marley is one of the film's producers.

Another new release, Sony/Marvel superhero thriller "Madame Web," placed second for the Friday-through-Sunday period, at $15.2 million.

Analysts called that a disappointing opening, given the film's $80 million production cost -- and its meager 13 percent positive rating on the Rotten Tomatoes website.

Gone are the days, said Gross, of Franchise Entertainment Research, when "you could pluck a character out of a popular superhero movie and make a hit film about them."

Dakota Johnson plays the titular Madame Web -- a paramedic with psychic talents -- in this fourth film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe series.

Dropping to third from last weekend's top spot was Universal's spy thriller "Argylle," at $4.7 million. It has now taken in $36.4 million domestically -- "tragic" figures for a film with a $200 million budget, according to Variety.

In fourth, flying steady in its fifth weekend out, was Universal's family-friendly animation "Migration," at $3.8 million.

And in fifth was another chapter of Fathom Events' story of the life of Jesus Christ, "The Chosen: S4, EP 4-6." It earned $3.4 million.

Warner Bros.' musical "Wonka" finally dropped out of the top five in its 10th week out, but did manage to hit the $600 million mark globally.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

"Wonka" ($3.4 million)

"The Beekeeper" ($3.3 million)

"Anyone But You" ($2.4 million)

"Lisa Frankenstein" ($2 million)

"Land of Bad" ($1.8 million)