Jeremy Kay 

Captain America soldiers on in top spot as Rio 2 is left feeling Blu

Jeremy Kay: After a buoyant Easter weekend, Marvel's shield-bearing superhero continues to carry all before him at US cinemas
  
  

Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Flying high … Chris Evans in Captain America; The Winter Soldier, which has topped the US box office for a third week. Photograph: Marvel Studios/Sportsphoto Ltd/Allstar Photograph: Marvel Studios/Sportsphoto Ltd/Allstar

Captain America marches past $200m

The superhero sequel accomplished two feats that proved its mettle over Easter weekend. By staying top for the third weekend in a row, The Winter Soldier has shown a consistent ability to draw crowds, notwithstanding the competing claims of Rio 2 in the past two sessions. While not exactly a direct rival in terms of demographic, there's little doubt that Captain America's drawing power has put a dent in the animation's early lustre. The film passed $200m (£118m) on its third weekend to reach $201.5m, confirming a healthy upward trajectory in comparison with its 2011 predecessor, which ended on $176.6m.

Transcendence trips up

A rare stumble at the box office for Johnny Depp probably says more about Warner Bros' muted marketing campaign and a lack of audience engagement than any waning in the star's appeal. Transcendence is the first feature from Christopher Nolan's cinematographer, Wally Pfister, and – after the $11.3m opening weekend – the question now is whether he can muster enough goodwill in the industry to direct another movie. Warner Bros did not pay the hefty $100m production price tag, rather acquiring rights to release the movie; that shifts the burden to the investors, international buyers and sales agent Lionsgate International.

Heaven Is for Real shines on debut

No such worries for Heaven Is for Real, the latest in a slew of faith-based movies that has stormed the box office and made the most of Easter weekend. After the breakout success of God's Not Dead and the slower burning Son of God, Tristar's tale arrived in third place on $21.5m over three days, taking $28.5m over five. Greg Kinnear and Kelly Reilly star in what is dubbed as the true story of a boy who claims to have visited heaven after a near-death experience.

A Haunted House 2 arrives with a whimper

Fifteen months ago the original horror spoof thrilled its US distributor Open Road Films with an $18.1m number two debut. The movie went on to gross $40m – by which time a sequel had already been greenlit, based partly on the movie's international success. The situation is not so promising the second time round: A Haunted House 2 arrived on $9.1m. That's not to say it will not reach a solid number in the US and internationally in the weeks to come.

Fading Gigolo scores for Millennium

It's rare to see Woody Allen in a movie he hasn't directed himself. So hats off to John Turturro for doing the veteran comic, and kudos to Millennium Entertainment for orchestrating such an impressive opening weekend. The rom-com debuted on $198,000 from five theatres, resulting in a magnificent $39,600 average. How it fares in the coming weeks will be crucial.

North American top 10, 18-20 April 2014

1 Captain America: The Winter Solider, $26.6m. Total: $201.5m

2 Rio 2, $22.5m. Total: $75.4m

3 Heaven Is For Real, $21.5m. Total: $28.5m

4 Transcendence, $11.2m

5 A Haunted House 2, $9.1m

6 Draft Day, $5.9m. Total: $19.5m

7 Divergent, $5.8m. Total: $133.9m

8 Oculus, $5.2m. Total: $21.2m

9 Noah, $5m. Total: $93.3m

10 God's Not Dead, $4.8m. Total: $48.3m

 

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