'Mission: Impossible — Fallout' dominates the box office as 'Teen Titans Go! To the Movies' disappoints - Los Angeles Times
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‘Mission: Impossible — Fallout’ dominates the box office as ‘Teen Titans Go! To the Movies’ disappoints

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The summer of sequels continues as the sixth installment of the “Mission: Impossible” franchise handily dominated the box office this weekend.

Paramount’s “Mission: Impossible — Fallout” debuted in first place with a series-best $61.5 million in the U.S. and Canada, according to figures from measurement firm ComScore.

“Summer CGI has met its match with an actor and a filmmaker who put it all on the line to create a great experience for moviegoers,” said Kyle Davies, the studio’s president of distribution. “All the stunts are real, the movie is just pure excitement.”

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The “Fallout” result tops the $57.8-million opening of 2000’s “Mission: Impossible II,” which previously held the franchise record. The opening matched analysts’ predictions of $50 million to $65 million and keeps the series on a short list of movie franchises that have managed to stay relevant after 20 years of new entries.

The previous installment, “Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation” opened with $55 million in 2015 before grossing $682 million globally, with $195 million in ticket sales from the U.S. and Canada alone.

The $178-million “Fallout” stars Tom Cruise, 56, as super spy Ethan Hunt and earned rave reviews with audiences and critics. It’s the first “Mission” to score an A rating on CinemaScore and also boasts an impressive 97% “fresh” rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.

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“Tom has created an iconic character and every movie you get a thrill ride with amazing stunts that audiences know are the real deal,” Davies said. “The movies have amazing settings that take place all over the world. It’s just a consistently great experience.”

The “Mission: Impossible” franchise has been a consistent winner for Cruise and Paramount since 1996, and “Fallout” marks a much-needed success for both the star and studio. Once one of Hollywood’s most bankable leading men, Cruise has had fewer hits in recent years and suffered back-to-back disappointments last year with the Universal releases “The Mummy” and “American Made.” The sixth “Mission: Impossible” now stands as the second biggest opening weekend of his career, behind 2005’s “War of the Worlds.”

After scoring a sleeper smash with “A Quiet Place” earlier this year, Paramount has been in rebuilding mode following a series of flops including “Baywatch,” “Downsizing” and this summer’s “Action Point.” “Fallout” delivered the studio’s biggest opening weekend since 2014’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”

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Universal’s “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” maintained its second-place spot, getting the edge on last weekend’s top opener “The Equalizer 2.”

“Mamma Mia!” now in its second weekend, earned $15 million in ticket sales, a bigger than expected 57% drop, and a cumulative of $70.4 million.

Sony’s “The Equalizer 2,” also in its second weekend, added $14 million in ticket sales, a steep 61% decline, for a cumulative $64.2 million.

The studio’s “Hotel Transylvania 3,” now in its third weekend, added $12.3 million in North American receipts for a cumulative $119.2 million.

Rounding out the top five, Warner Bros.’ “Teen Titans Go! To the Movies” opened with $10.5 million, below analysts’ expectations of $15 million. The animated film did notch a strong 90% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes and earned a B+ from audiences polled by CinemaScore.

Based on the “Teen Titans Go!” Cartoon Network show that launched in 2013, the PG-rated film puts an irreverent and meta spin on superhero tropes. In their first big-screen outing, the Titans — young DC heroes such as Robin, Cyborg, Raven and Starfire — pine after the Hollywood recognition enjoyed by older (and more profitable) DC heroes like Superman and Batman. The show’s fifth season premiered on Cartoon Network in June.

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In limited release, Lionsgate’s “Blindspotting” added 532 theaters and $1.3 million in earnings for a cumulative $1.8 million. The film stars Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs as friends — one white and one black — and focuses on how race informs the way each deals with the growing gentrification of Oakland.

A24’s “Eighth Grade” continued a charmed run adding $1.3 million in ticket sales in its third weekend while playing in just 158 locations, for a per-theater average of $8,339 and a cumulative $3 million. The critically acclaimed film will go into wide release next weekend.

Also next week, Fox opens the sci-fi thriller “The Darkest Minds,” Quality Flix debuts the pro-Donald Trump political documentary “Death of a Nation,” Disney premieres the Winnie the Pooh fantasy “Christopher Robin,” and Lionsgate unveils the female-driven action comedy “The Spy Who Dumped Me.”

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UPDATES:

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12 p.m.: This post was updated with quotes from studio executives and additional analysis.

This post was originally published at 9:20 a.m.

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