Box office top 20: ‘Life of Pets’ busts ‘Ghostbusters’ debut

NEW YORK – The female-powered reboot of “Ghostbusters” debuted well for a live-action comedy but not so great for a big-budget would-be summer blockbuster.

Paul Feig’s new “Ghostbusters” for Sony Pictures opened with $46 million in North American theatres, according to final box office figures Monday.

The sum, while the best performance of a live-action comedy since last year’s “Pitch Perfect 2,” wasn’t enough to topple the animated hit “The Secret Life of Pets.” The Universal release earned $50.8 million in its second weekend, bringing its two-week total past $200 million.

Sony called the debut of “Ghostbusters” a “triumph,” but analysts are skeptical it will turn a profit for the studio, given the hefty $144 million production budget, plus at least $100 million in marketing. The film, starring Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig, drew only slightly more women than men to theatres.

The Bryan Cranston crime drama “The Infiltrator” was the only other new wide release. It grossed $5.3 million on 1,601 screens for Broad Green Pictures.

The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theatres Friday through Monday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theatre locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Tuesday by comScore:

1. “The Secret Life Of Pets,” Universal, $50,838,355, 4,381 locations, $11,604 average, $203,426,220, 2 weeks.

2. “Ghostbusters,” Sony, $46,018,755, 3,963 locations, $11,612 average, $46,018,755, 1 week.

3. “The Legend Of Tarzan,” Warner Bros., $11,441,337, 3,551 locations, $3,222 average, $103,371,594, 3 weeks.

4. “Finding Dory,” Disney, $11,281,179, 3,536 locations, $3,190 average, $445,745,629, 5 weeks.

5. “Mike And Dave Need Wedding Dates,” 20th Century Fox, $7,657,918, 3,008 locations, $2,546 average, $31,481,634, 2 weeks.

6. “The Purge: Election Year,” Universal, $6,185,695, 2,671 locations, $2,316 average, $71,107,355, 3 weeks.

7. “Central Intelligence,” Warner Bros., $5,372,013, 2,381 locations, $2,256 average, $117,580,316, 5 weeks.

8. “The Infiltrator,” Broad Green Pictures, $5,303,775, 1,601 locations, $3,313 average, $6,766,623, 1 week.

9. “The BFG,” Disney, $3,789,434, 2,182 locations, $1,737 average, $47,379,045, 3 weeks.

10. “Independence Day: Resurgence,” 20th Century Fox, $3,521,282, 2,290 locations, $1,538 average, $98,587,725, 4 weeks.

11. “The Shallows,” Sony, $3,005,293, 1,695 locations, $1,773 average, $51,400,382, 4 weeks.

12. “Sultan,” Yash Raj Films, $974,791, 273 locations, $3,571 average, $5,248,781, 2 weeks.

13. “The Conjuring 2,” Warner Bros., $851,350, 566 locations, $1,504 average, $101,103,011, 6 weeks.

14. “Now You See Me 2,” Lionsgate, $687,309, 523 locations, $1,314 average, $63,540,841, 6 weeks.

15. “Hunt for the Wilderpeople,” The Orchard, $567,110, 155 locations, $3,659 average, $1,468,755, 4 weeks.

16. “The Jungle Book,” Disney, $517,355, 276 locations, $1,874 average, $360,852,718, 14 weeks.

17. “Free State Of Jones,” STX Entertainment, $482,543, 506 locations, $954 average, $20,389,967, 4 weeks.

18. “Cafe Society,” Lionsgate, $359,289, 5 locations, $71,858 average, $359,289, 1 week.

19. “Our Kind Of Traitor,” Roadside Attractions, $300,690, 262 locations, $1,148 average, $2,787,256, 3 weeks.

20. “Captain Fantastic,” Bleecker Street, $288,888, 36 locations, $8,025 average, $417,708, 2 weeks.

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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