“The Martian” blasts off box office

“The Martian” blasts off box office

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Opening only days after NASA announced findings demonstrating water on Mars, “The Martian” soaked up moviegoers in the box office.

Ridley Scott’s 3D space epic touched down having a solid $55 million over the weekend in theatres, based on studio estimates Sunday. The results demonstrated moviegoers’ enduring thirst for space ventures, especially ones that rely on math than creatures.

The 20th Century Fox release, starring Matt Damon as an astronaut left for dead surpassed expectations to almost rank as the top October introduction ever. The estimated North American launch of “The Martian” surpassed that of Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” ($47.5 million) and nearly equaled the introduction of Alfonso Cuaron’s “Gravity” ($55.8 million).

Scott (“Blade Runner,” “Gladiator”) discussed with “CBS This Morning” last week about how the 44-year old star got into character while playing by himself, alongside 28 GoPro cameras.

Accommodated in the Andy Weir novel, “The Martian” — more “science-fact” than science fiction – relishes practical scientific problem solving and NASA’s spirit of quest. The movie also had mostly favorable reviews going to the introduction of the weekend.

The film added $45.2 million worldwide.

“Strong operations by recent space-related movies like ‘Interstellar’ and ‘Gravity’ demonstrate that ‘geeking-out’ on all matters outer space and science related in the movie theater isn’t just a favorite pastime, but has now made science really ‘trendy,'” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for box office business Rentrak.

Yet October is proving particularly active with good-reviewed studio releases seeking wide-ranging audiences. Another acclaimed 3D scene, Sony’s “The Walk,” took a back seat to “The Martian.” Ahead of a broader opening next week, Robert Zemeckis’ dramatization of Philippe Petit’s World Trade Center stunt took in only $1.6 million on 448 Imax displays.

“You want word of mouth for such a movie and that is what this weekend was all around,” said Sony distribution head Rory Bruer, who granted it is a “busy field.” The picture will look to parlay reviews that are powerful out of its New York Film Festival introduction and buzz from its vertigo-inducing 3D next week.

Last week’s box office champion, “Hotel Transylvania 2,” slipped to second with the estimated $33 million.

The gay rights drama “Freeheld,” starring Julianne Moore and Ellen Page, started in limited release using a $40,000-per-screen average in New York and Los Angeles.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to Rentrak. The latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are additionally contained where accessible. Monday, closing national amounts will be released:

1.”The Martian,” $55 million ($45.2 million international).

2.”Hotel Transylvania 2,” $33 million ($20.4 million international).

3.”Sicario,” $12.1 million ($3.3 million international).

4.”The Intern,” $11.6 million ($15.7 million international).

5.”Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials,” $7.7 million ($13.7 million international).

6.”Black Mass,” $5.9 million.

7.”Everest,” $5.5 million ($16.4 million international).

8.”The Visit,” $3.9 million ($3.3 million international).

9.”War Room,” $2.8 million.

10.”The Perfect Guy,” $2.4 million.