‘Capt America’ tops box office for 3rd week

Captain America continues to vanquish box office foes, triumphing in ticket sales for the third consecutive week and dominating over megastar Johnny Depp’s new movie.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier added another $26 million (Dh95 million) to its coffers, according to studio estimates on Sunday, while Depp’s sci-fi thriller, Transcendence, opened in fourth place with $11 million.

Directed by longtime Christopher Nolan cinematographer Wally Pfister, the Warner Bros film is Depp’s third consecutive box office disappointment. He played Tonto in last summer’s The Lone Ranger — one of the biggest flops of 2013 — and starred in 2012’s comedy-horror dud, Dark Shadows.

“As we approach the summer movie season, box-office drawing power becomes more about the concept of the movie rather than its star,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for box-office tracker Rentrak. “It may not have been so much [about] Johnny Depp, but audiences right now like brands that they know.”

That doesn’t bode well for original ideas, such as Transcendence, penned by first-time screenwriter Jack Paglen.

Twelve sequels are expected this summer alone, Dergarabedian said.

Another new movie, the religious-themed Heaven Is for Real, debuted in third place over Easter weekend, while another sequel, Rio 2, held on to the second spot.

Faith-based films are performing well, with four releases in the US top 20.

The Winter Soldier set a box-office record as the biggest April release ever when it opened with more than $96 million in the US. Starring Chris Evans as comic book hero Capt America and Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, the Disney release has earned more than $200 million to date in North America — the 12th Marvel film to do so.