The DreamWorks animated adventure ‘Abominable’ topped the box office with $20.9 million in ticket sales over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday, while the Renee Zellweger-led Judy Garland tale ‘Judy’ got off to a strong start.
‘Abominable’, the weekend’s sole new wide release, is a co-production between Universal’s DreamWorks and the Shanghai-based Pearl Studios. So the $75 million (Dh275.45 million)-film’s performance when it opens Tuesday in China will be vital to its worldwide success.
The film, written and directed by Jill Culton, is about a Shanghai teenager (Chloe Bennet) who discovers a lost yeti on the roof of her apartment building. She and a pair of friends traverse China to return the creature, whom they name ‘Everest’, home to the Himalayas.
‘Abominable’ garnered positive reviews (80 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes) and a warm reception from audiences (an A CinemaScore) eager for a family friendly option.
“Abominable” marks the seventh No. 1 film this year for Universal, or eight if you count ‘Downton Abbey’, released by the studio’s speciality label, Focus Features.
‘Downton’, last week’s top film, slid to second with $14.5 million. The big-screen encore for the British series has already grossed $107.1 million worldwide.