Even with a string of high-profile new releases, the space drama “Gravity” continues to orbit at the top of the box office.
The Alfonso Cuaron film, starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, was No. 1 for the third week in a row on Friday, as newcomers “Carrie,” “Escape Plan” and “The Fifth Estate” withered in its wake.
“Gravity” scored another $9 million, bringing its domestic total to a magical $148 million.
“Carrie,” Sony/Screen Gems’ new take on the classic Stephen King novel, somewhat disappointed with $6.6 million, and will likely earn around $15 million or $16 million in its debut weekend. It stars Chloe Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore.
In its second week, the fact-based drama “Captain Phillips” captured another $5.1 million, on its way to a weekend take expected to be in the $16 million range. The film, starring Tom Hanks and directed by Paul Greengrass, has so far earned a solid $41.1 million in the U.S.
Newcomer “Escape Plan” — which pairs struggling action legends Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger — made off with just $3.3 million for third place, and is expected to gross $9.5 million, a decidedly low figure for a film which cost a rumored $70 million to produce.
Sony’s leggy sequel “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2” closed out the top five, adding $2.5 million to its plate. It has so far served up a meaty $85.5 domestically. However, it may have trouble topping the 2009 original, which earned $124 million.
DreamWorks’ “The Fifth Estate” opened to some bad news on Friday. The Julian Assange biopic, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, scraped up just $587,000 from over 1,700 screens. It landed at No. 7, behind hold over “Prisoners,” which picked up another $615,000. “Estate” will likely earn a very flat $1.8 million in its opening weekend.
Look for complete box office estimates for the weekend on Sunday.