'Dunkirk' stays on top in N. America

LOS ANGELES: World War II epic Dunkirk stayed at the top of the North American box office for the second straight weekend, industry data showed Sunday.
Directed by Briton Christopher Nolan, critically acclaimed Dunkirk took in another US$28.1 million (RM120 million), according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations, for a total of US$102.8 million since it debuted last weekend and became the first non-franchise film to top the charts this summer.
It stars singer Harry Styles in the retelling of the storied 1940 evacuation of hundreds of thousands of Allied troops from a beach in northern France under constant German bombardment.
Debuting in second place with US$25.6 million in revenue was The Emoji Movie, an animated flick about a world inside a cell phone that is populated by emojis.
A chipper one named Gene is embarrassed that he has an expressive face and sets off an adventure to become like all the others – with just one look to his or her mug.
Falling from second last week to third is raunchy comedy Girls Trip starring Queen Latifah, Regina Hall, Jada Pinkett Smith and Tiffany Haddish, which posted a haul of US$20 million and US$65.5 million in its first two weeks.
Another debut movie, action flick Atomic Blonde starring Charlize Theron in the role of agent Lorraine Broughton, took in US$18.5 million as it grabbed fourth place.
Fifth went to Spider-Man: Homecoming, which pulled in US$13.4 million. Overall, it has raked in more than US$278 million in North America.
French auteur Luc Besson's special-effects laden Valerian tanked as it fell three ranks in the top ten. In two weeks it has taken in just US$30.6 million, against the US$180 million it cost to make.
The Europa Corp-financed film starring Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne is the most expensive independent film ever made, with some industry watchers calculating it would have to hit the US$400 million mark worldwide to justify a sequel.
Rounding out the top 10 were:
War For the Planet of the Apes (US$10.3 million)
Despicable Me 3 (US$7.7 million)
Valerian (US$6.8 million)
Baby Driver (US$4 million)
Wonder Woman (US$3.5 million) — AFP