Fox’s new sci-fi spectacle Alita: Battle Angel is dominating North American box offices with an estimated $33 million take this four-day holiday weekend, industry trackers said Sunday.
The film, with Rosa Salazar voicing Alita, a cyborg almost more human than machine, was set to make $27.8 million for the Friday-to-Sunday period and an additional $5.2 million for Monday’s President’s Day holiday, Exhibitor Relations reported.
The computer-animated adaptation of a Japanese cyberpunk manga story has big names behind it, directed by Robert Rodriguez and produced by James Cameron. The project, 20 years in the making, also has a sizable budget: $170 million.
The Fox film beat out last weekend’s leader, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, which earned Warner Bros an estimated $21.2 million in ticket sales for the first three days of the weekend and $27.3 million when Monday is included.
This fourth Lego movie again features the voices of Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, and Will Arnett–joined this time by Tiffany Haddish and Maya Rudolph–in a story of love and chaos in a post-apocalyptic toyland.
In third was another Warner Bros. film, Isn’t It Romantic?, at $14.2 million for three days and $16.5 million for four. Rebel Wilson stars as a rom-com hating New Yorker who, after a blow to the head, finds herself in her own romantic comedy. Liam Hemsworth also stars.
Fourth place went to Paramount’s What Men Want. The gender-switching remake of 2000’s What Women Want stars Taraji P. Henson. It had three-day ticket sales of $10.9 million and a four-day total of $12.6 million.
And in fifth was Happy Death Day 2U from Universal, at $9.8 million for three days and $11.5 million for four–already recouping the mere $9 million it cost to make. Jessica Rothe again plays the role of a young woman living and reliving the day of her murder.
