Jump scares still reign at the box office

'Five Nights at Freddy's 2' dominates North America as sequels and musicals follow closely behind

LOS ANGELES:

Horror video-game adaptation 'Five Nights at Freddy's 2' demonstrated that jump scares still sell, debuting at the top of North American box offices with $63 million domestically from Friday through Sunday, industry estimates showed Sunday.

The second instalment in Universal's 'Freddy's' franchise, following animatronic characters at a pizza shop, tween protagonist Piper Rubio, and the ensuing murderous mayhem, added another $46 million internationally, according to Exhibitor Relations.

"Critics' reviews are poor, but the genre is largely immune to them," said David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. "Audience scores matter more, and they are strong for a horror film, though not quite as high as the first movie."

Sliding to second place was Disney's 'Zootopia 2', a buddy-cop animated comedy featuring a menagerie of talking animals tackling stereotypes. The sequel earned $43 million, bringing its two-week domestic total to $220 million and a global haul approaching $1 billion.

Third place went to Universal's 'Wicked: For Good', the second chapter in the musical saga of Oz's witches, with $16.8 million in its third weekend. The film follows green-skinned outcast Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and popular Glinda (Ariana Grande), and is based on the long-running Broadway musical adapted from Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel.

'JUJUTSU KAISEN: Execution', the anime-based tale of violent sorcery released by GKIDS, debuted in fourth spot with $10.2 million. Fifth place went to Lionsgate's 'Now You See Me: Now You Don't', the third instalment of the crime heist franchise, earning $3.5 million.

Rounding out the top ten were: 'Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair' ($3.3 million); 'Eternity' ($2.7 million); 'Hamnet' ($2.3 million); 'Predator: Badlands' ($1.9 million); and 'Merrily We Roll Along' ($1.2 million).