Box office: ‘Cinderella’ enchants moviegoers

“Cinderella� brought her magic to the box office this weekend, debuting with a studio-estimated $70.1 million in the U.S. and Canada.

The Disney film edged ahead of the May 2014 release of “Maleficent,� the spinoff of “Sleeping Beauty� that starred Angelina Jolie and debuted at $69.4 million. “Cinderella� became the third largest Disney opening for the month of March, behind the live-action “Alice in Wonderland,� which launched with $116.1 million in 2010, and “Oz the Great and Powerful,� which opened to $79.1 million in 2013.

Directed by Kenneth Branagh, “Cinderella� brings back the classic fairy tale with Lily James (“Downton Abbey�) in the title role. After Cinderella’s father dies, her stepmother (Cate Blanchett) treats her like a servant, and a fairy godmother (Helena Bonham Carter) steps in to help change her luck and get her to the royal ball, where Prince Charming (Richard Madden) awaits.

“The key to adapting a beloved property is to remain true to the essence of the original while creatively imagining the story in a new or fresh way,� said Dave Hollis, Disney’s head of distribution.

The film, which cost $95 million to make, pleased most moviegoers and earned an A grade from audience polling firm CinemaScore. The audience skewed female (66%) and young (31% ages 12 and younger). Critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a solid 83% positive rating.

Internationally, the film pulled in about $62.4 million in more than 30 markets, bringing its total global haul to $132.5 million.

The fact that an estimated 20% of U.S. schools were on spring break likely helped give “Cinderella� an additional push, Hollis said. He also attributed the performance to positive word-of-mouth and promotion.

“The marketing team helped create an event around the film,� Hollis said.

Coming in at second for the weekend was “Run All Night,� which launched with about $11 million.

Though it scored an A-minus from CinemaScore, the film fell short of $15-million tracking expectations.

“There’s a good buzz out there on the movie,� said Dan Fellman, Warner Bros.’ head of distribution. “I just wish it had opened up a little stronger.�

The action film, which cost about $50 million to make, follows a hitman (Liam Neeson) fighting to save his son. It co-stars Joel Kinnaman and Ed Harris.

The soft opening is unusual for Neeson, whose latest action film, “Taken 3,� opened with about $40 million and went on to make $88.3 million domestically. The R-rated “Run All Night� came in even lower than “A Walk Among the Tombstones,� the actor’s 2014 Universal Pictures film, which flopped with a $13.1-million debut and went on to gross $26.3 million domestically.

About 86% of the audience for “Run All Night� was older than 25, and 52% of moviegoers were female.

“Hopefully positive word-of-mouth will give it a good second weekend,� Fellman said.

Twentieth Century Fox’s “Kingsman: The Secret Service� rounded out the top three in its fifth weekend in release. Based on a comic book, “Kingsman� film follows a street kid (Taron Egerton) whom Harry Hart (Colin Firth) recruits into a secret spy organization. Samuel L. Jackson and Michael Caine also star.

The film, which has remained steady in the top five since its release, added about $6.2 million, bringing its total domestic haul to about $107.4 million.

The Will Smith romantic caper “Focus� came in fourth, adding $5.8 million and barely edging out last weekend’s No. 1 film, “Chappie,� according to early estimated. “Chappie� dropped 57% in ticket sales and finished fifth.

Several other films reached milestones over the weekend. Universal Pictures reported that “Fifty Shades of Grey� hit $546.5 million worldwide, making it the studio’s 10th highest grossing film in global ticket sales. Disney announced that “Big Hero 6� finished as the No. 1 animated title of 2014, grossing more than $620 million globally.

The overall box office, which is up 4.3% year-to-date, will get a boost next weekend with the release of “Insurgent,� the highly anticipated second film in Lionsgate’s “Divergent� franchise.

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