Benedict Cumberbatch’s “Doctor Strange” continues its box office reign

PanARMENIAN.Net - "Doctor Strange" still holds the throne at North American box office for a second week in a row. The superhero flick starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the titular neurosurgeon-tuned-sorcerer adds another $43 million, bringing its total domestic cume to $153 million so far. Overseas, it has earned $492.6 million, AceShowbiz said.

"Escapism was the order of the day," says Jeff Bock, senior box-office analyst for Exhibitor Relations. "This is definitely people getting out of their post-election blues - or euphoria. But people just really wanted to get away from politics this weekend."

Senior media analyst for comScore Paul Dergarabedian says, "There's no better way to unplug and avoid politics than to go out to the movies for a couple of hours. It's a sanctuary."

Staying still in the runner-up spot is DreamWorks' "Trolls". The family-friendly animated musical featuring the voices of Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake is estimated to collect $35.1 million in its second weekend.

Landing in the third place is Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi mystery "Arrival. The Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker-starring movie, which earned 98% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, has an impressive opening with approximately $24 million.

"Word of mouth was really big for this film, and, obviously, the trailers did a great job building up suspense," says Bock. "It didn't give a lot away. 'Arrival' was sort of clouded in mystery."

Other newcomers this weekend include "Almost Christmas" and "Shut In". Universal's comedy flick lands at No. 4 with an estimated $15.6 million, while the horror thriller starring Naomi Watts fails to take a decent spot at the domestic box office, only earning approximately $3.7 million in its debut weekend.

Rounding out the top five is Mel Gibson's WWII drama "Hacksaw Ridge". The Andrew Garfield-starring movie collects an additional $10.8 million in its second weekend.