Yahoo News Dunkirk smashes expectations at the US box office
Dunkirk has soared to the top of the US box office in its opening weekend, defying estimates to make a massive $50.5 million and come out $20 million ahead of its nearest competition..
The Christopher Nolan film stars newcomers Fionn Whitehead and Tom Glynn-Carney, as well as Nolan favourites Tom Hardy and Cillian Murphy – not to mention a little someone called Harry Styles who you probably haven't heard of – and focuses on the evacuation of troops from Dunkirk during World War II.
According to The Wrap, the film was projected to make between $30-40 million in its opening weekend, and it even managed to surpass the first weekend takings of Nolan's last film, the Oscar-winning Interstellar, which took $49.5 million.
The takings put it $20 million ahead of its closest competition, fellow new release Girls Trip. The buddy-comedy stars Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett-Smith and earned $30,370,720.
But even that's a much better performance than the much-hyped Valerian and the City of A Thousand Planets, which stars Cara Delevingne and Dane DeHaan and finished in the fifth spot in its opening weekend.
Yes, it seems not even Rihanna's presence in the film could help drive audiences to see Valerian and the sci-fi action film made just $17,020,000, making it a relative flop for director Luc Besson against its massive budget of over $200 million.
Not that that's stopped him planning two sequels, however...
Elsewhere in the US box office this week, Spider-Man: Homecoming is continuing to enjoy its status as the superhero with the most successful introduction into the MCU by taking another $22,010,000 in its third week of release, finishing up in the third spot.
Last week's number one, War for the Planet of the Apes, took another $20.4 million and ended the week in fourth place.
Watch a trailer for the film below:
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