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King LeBron reigns again as new 'Space Jam' tops NAmerica box office

News Desk (AFP)
Los Angeles, United States
Mon, July 19, 2021

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King LeBron reigns again as new 'Space Jam' tops NAmerica box office In this file photo basketball player/actor LeBron James arrives at the Warner Bros Pictures world premiere of 'Space Jam: A New Legacy' at the Regal LA Live in Los Angeles, California, July 12, 2021. (AFP/Valerie Macon)

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ew Warner Bros. release Space Jam: A New Legacy rocketed to the top of the North American box office over the weekend, taking in an estimated $31.6 million in the best showing of a family film since Covid first hammered the industry.

The live action/animated movie -- a sequel nearly 25 years after the original Space Jam with Michael Jordan -- has NBA superstar LeBron James teaming up with Bugs Bunny and other Looney Tunes characters in a high-stakes basketball game against a rogue artificial-intelligence entity threatening his son. 

The film's surprise showing, despite middling-to-terrible reviews -- the New York Post called it an "abomination" -- propelled it past last weekend's leader, Disney superhero film Black Widow

That Marvel Studios production, starring Scarlett Johansson, took in $25.6 million in the Friday-through-Sunday period, down sharply from its $80.4 million opening, according to industry watcher Exhibitor Relations.

In third place was Sony's psychological thriller Escape Room: Tournament of Champions, at $8.8 million. Taylor Russell and Logan Miller, reprising their roles in 2019's Escape Room, face a series of deadly traps and puzzles set by the evil Minos.

Fourth place went to Universal's F9: The Fast Saga, at $7.6 million, bringing the four-week domestic total of the Vin Diesel/John Cena action thriller to $154 million.

And in fifth was Universal's animated Boss Baby: Family Business, at $4.7 million.

Meantime, Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain -- the Focus Features/CNN Films movie about the world-traveling chef -- had the best opening of a documentary this year, at $1.9 million.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

The Forever Purge ($4.2 million)

A Quiet Place: Part II ($2.3 million)

Roadrunner ($1.9 million)

Cruella ($1.1 million)

Pig ($945,000)

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