‘Sully’ Cruises to Second Straight Box Office Victory

Clint Eastwood’s biographical plane drama Sully is flying high atop the North American box office chart for a second consecutive week.

Sully, which features Tom Hanks as hero pilot Captain Chesley Sullenberger during his ‘Miracle on the Hudson’ plane landing on water in 2009 and its aftermath, remained the most popular film in the country this week, adding $22 million to its haul.

Eastwood’s film easily soared above the Blair Witch sequel, which snagged second place with $9.65 million, while Bridget Jones’s Baby earned a disappointing $8.2 million to enter at number three.

The romantic comedy marked Renee Zellweger’s return to the hit franchise as the beloved literary title character after a 15-year absence, with Colin Firth reprising his role as Mark Darcy and former Grey’s Anatomy star Patrick Dempsey as his new love rival, billionaire Jack Qwant.

The third installment in the movie series received generally positive reviews, but it has failed to attract the attention of movie-goers and scored the worst opening figures for the franchise in the U.S. and Canada.

However, there is some good news for director Sharon Maguire and her cast as the film performed much better outside of North America, taking an estimated $29.9 million in 24 territories.

Meanwhile, Oliver Stone’s biopic Snowden, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the exiled whistleblower Edward Snowden, placed fourth with $8 million, becoming the lowest-grossing debut of the director’s career. Horror hit Don’t Breathe rounded out the top five.