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‘Doctor Strange’ works magic on North American box office

By AFP

08 November 2016   |   6:05 am

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Surgeon-turned-sorcerer "Doctor Strange" cast his spell on North American audiences, debuting at the top of the box office in the latest triumph for Marvel Studios, industry data showed Monday.

(FILES) This file photo taken on October 13, 2016 shows British actors Tilda Swinton and Benedict Cumberbatch attend a press conference to promote their latest movie, Marvel’s “Doctor Strange”, in Hong Kong. AFP PHOTO / Anthony WALLACE

Surgeon-turned-sorcerer “Doctor Strange” cast his spell on North American audiences, debuting at the top of the box office in the latest triumph for Marvel Studios, industry data showed Monday.

The movie, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch as world-famous neurosurgeon Stephen Strange — whose life changes forever after a horrific car accident robs him of use of his hands — raked in $85.1 million, box office tracker Exhibitor Relations said.

Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, Mads Mikkelsen and Tilda Swinton star alongside Cumberbatch, as his character explores his mystical powers.

The 14th film in Disney’s “Marvel Cinematic Universe,” “Strange” follows recent studio successes including “Captain America: Civil War,” which made more than $1 billion worldwide, as well as other crowd pleasers such as the “Thor,” “Iron Man” and “The Avengers” franchises.

Debuting in second place was DreamWorks’ animated “Trolls,” based on the classic plastic dolls known for their multi-colored hair.

Featuring the voices of Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick, the film made $46.6 million in its first weekend in theaters.

Third place went to Mel Gibson’s directorial comeback “Hacksaw Ridge,” also in its debut weekend, which raked in $15.2 million.

The movie tells the true story of World War II army medic Desmond Doss, a conscientious objector who went on to receive the Medal of Honor despite refusing to carry a weapon.

“Boo! A Madea Halloween” — the latest installment in Tyler Perry’s Madea comedy franchise, fell to fourth place with $7.7 million, down three spots from its former perch at the top of the box office.

And “Inferno,” the third installment of Sony’s “Da Vinci Code” franchise, directed by Ron Howard, earned $6.2 million in the second weekend since its release.

Rounding out the top 10 films were:

“The Accountant” ($5.9 million)

“Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” ($5.5 million)

“Ouija: Origin of Evil” ($3.9 million)

“The Girl on the Train” ($2.7 million)

“Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” ($2.1 million)