Melissa McCarthy’s ‘The Boss’ debuts to $23.5M at box office

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Step aside, Batman and Superman. Melissa McCarthy is “The Boss” at the box office now.

The actress’ latest comedy narrowly topped “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” at the weekend box office with a $23.5 million debut, according to comScore estimates Sunday. “The Boss” stars McCarthy as an over-the-top business mogul attempting to rebound after being convicted of insider trading.

McCarthy’s win wasn’t a total knockout. The Warner Bros. superhero smackdown starring Ben Affleck as the Dark Knight and Henry Cavill as the Man of Steel nabbed $23.4 million in its third weekend. Despite poor reviews and word of mouth, “Batman v Superman” has earned an estimated $296.7 million to date.

“Batman v Superman” earned an additional $34 million in 67 international markets, bringing its international total to $486.8 million.

When the final box office figures are released Monday, the DC Comics mash-up could end up overcoming McCarthy’s R-rated Universal comedy.

“It’s incredibly close,” said Paul Dergarabedian, comScore’s senior media analyst. “It’s one of the closest results between first- and second-place films I’ve ever seen. Anything can happen. We’ll know for sure tomorrow.”

Disney’s “Zootopia” landed in third place with $14.4 million. In its sixth weekend, the animated film featuring the voices of Jason Bateman and Ginnifer Goodwin has earned a total domestic haul of $296 million.

The weekend’s only other newcomer, STX Entertainment’s first-person action romp “Hardcore Henry,” opened in fifth place with a dismal $5.1 million.

___

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “The Boss,” $23.5 million ($1 million international).

2. “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” $23.4 million ($34 million international).

3. “Zootopia,” $14.4 million ($ 22.7 million international).

4. “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2,” $6.4 million ($3.3 million international).

5. “Hardcore Henry,” $5.1 million.

6. “Miracles From Heaven,” $4.8 million ($1.1 million international).

7. “God’s Not Dead 2,” $4.3 million.

8. “The Divergent Series: Allegiant,” $3.6 million.

9. “10 Cloverfield Lane,” $3 million ($6.2 million international).

10. “Eye in the Sky,” $2.8 million.

___

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theatres (excluding the U.S. and Canada), according to comScore:

1. “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” $34 million.

2. “The Jungle Book,” $28.9 million.

3. “London Has Fallen,” $26 million.

4. “Zootopia,” $22.7 million.

5. “The Huntsman: Winter’s War,” $20 million.

6. “Kung Fu Panda 3,” $11.4 million.

7. “Les Visiteurs: La Revolution,” $7.2 million.

8. “10 Cloverfield Lane,” $6.2 million.

9. “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2,” $3.3 million.

10. “Miracles From Heaven,” $1.1 million.

___

Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by 21st Century Fox; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.

___

Follow AP Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/derrikjlang. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/derrik-j-lang.