The gonzo R-rated horror comedy "Cocaine Bear" sniffed up US$23.1 million in its opening weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday, while Marvel's "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" shrank unusually quickly in its second weekend.
"Quantumania" was still No. 1 with an estimated US$32.2 million in ticket sales in U.S. and Canadian theaters. But the "Ant-Man" sequel, hit with some of the worst reviews and audience scores of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, dropped a steep 69.7, a pandemic release that debuted simultaneously in homes.
Instead, Universal Pictures' "Cocaine Bear" rampaged through multiplexes, scoring notably above expectations. Made for about $35 million and directed by Elizabeth Banks, "Cocaine Bear" stirred up plenty of buzz just from its title and its made-to-go-viral trailer.
"Cocaine Bear," scripted by Jimmy Warden and produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller ("Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse," "The Lego Movie"), managed to turn a bizarre true-life tale into a tongue-in-cheek box office hit. It's based on the real story of a 175-pound (79-kilogram) black bear who died in the Georgia mountains in 1985 after eating from a duffle bag of cocaine that had fallen from a smuggler's plane. (The smuggler, a former Kentucky narcotics investigator, parachuted to his death in Tennessee.)
The trailer for "Cocaine Bear," which played ahead of the Super Bowl, was watched globally by more than 90 million, Universal said, and caught fire on social media. But transferring can-you-believe-that's-a-real-movie buzz to the box office doesn't always work. "Snakes on a Plane," a movie many compared to "Cocaine Bear," opened with US$13.9 million in 2006.
"Audiences discovered this very outrageous, hysterical comedy that our director Elizabeth Banks delivered," said Jim Orr, Universal distribution chief. "The film absolutely delivers on its preposterous premise. People wanted to come out and have a good time at the theater."
"Cocaine Bear" managed to overperform despite mixed reviews from critics and a "B-" CinemaScore from audiences. Ticket buyers were 59 per cent male, and 63 per cent were aged 18-34. It added US$5.3 million overseas. "Quantumania" is more easily outpacing "Cocaine Bear" internationally, where it added US$46.4 million over the weekend.
In just about the epitome of counterprogramming to "Cocaine Bear," Lionsgate's "Jesus Revolution" also debuted strongly. The film, likewise inspired by a true story, stars Kelsey Grammer as a California minister and Joel Courtney as youth minister, and dramatizes the movement of Christian hippies in the late '60s and early '70s. It launched with US$15.5 million over the weekend and in advance screenings. Produced by the Kingdom Story Company, "Jesus Revolution" proved popular with Christian audiences, and early surpassed expectations. It earned an A+ CinemaScore.
Next week should see a new champ at the box office, with the release of Michael B. Jordan's "Creed III."
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," US$32.2 million
2. "Cocaine Bear," US$23.1 million.
3. "Jesus Revolution," US$15.5 million.
4. "Avatar: The Way of Water," US$4.7 million.
5. "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish," US$4.1 million.
6. "Magic Mike's Last Dance," US$3 million.
7. "Knock at the Cabin," US$1.9 million.
8. "80 for Brady," US$1.8 million.
9. "Missing," US$1 million.
10. "A Man Called Otto," US$850,000.
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A six-year-old boy from northeastern Manitoba who had been missing since last Wednesday has been found dead.
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A six-year-old girl who was reported missing in northern B.C. last week has been found safe, police said Sunday evening.
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Ontario's police watchdog has decided there are no grounds to believe Sudbury police committed a crime during a difficult arrest in May where the suspect's neck was broken.
The City of Calgary ended water restrictions for the city at a Sunday morning update.
The brother of a 27-year-old man who was fatally shot in Scarborough over the weekend has been arrested and charged in connection with his death, say police.
A six-year-old boy from northeastern Manitoba who had been missing since last Wednesday has been found dead.
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Israeli strikes killed some 100 Lebanese Monday in the deadliest and most intense barrage in nearly a year as the Israeli military warned residents in southern and eastern Lebanon to evacuate their homes ahead of a widening air campaign against Hezbollah.
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Justin Trudeau will turn his focus to the ongoing crises in Haiti as he speaks with some world leaders Monday ahead of the 78th meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told delegates at the United Nations the world is at a global inflection point, having a choice between walking away from multilateralism or setting differences aside to confront serious global challenges.
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A Russian space capsule undocked from the International Space Station on Monday to take three astronauts back to Earth, two of them completing a record-long stay on the orbiting laboratory.
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Two reports released Monday provide a mixed but compelling outlook on the wave of book removals and challenges as the annual Banned Books Week begins for schools, stores and libraries nationwide.
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The Calgary Flames and Seattle Kraken both finished with 81 points last year in the Western Conference and missed the NHL playoffs by 17 points.
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The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have a nickname for the opposition’s end zone. They refer to it as the “chicken box.â€
Unifor says workers at General Motors' CAMI assembly plant and battery facility in southwestern Ontario have ratified a new collective agreement.
General Motors (GM) has issued a recall for 38,000 vehicles for safety risks related to a software glitch, Transport Canada reported in a notice on Wednesday.
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has accused Tesla CEO Elon Musk of 'remotely disabling' his Cybertruck, which had been sent to the frontline of Russia's war in Ukraine.
A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.
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The City of Calgary ended water restrictions for the city at a Sunday morning update.
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More than a year after the Government of Saskatchewan introduced the pronoun policy, the constitutionality of it continues to be questioned.
A 14-year-old girl from Flying Dust First Nation was killed after a high-speed ATV struck a ditch near Meadow Lake.
The 75-year-old building, formerly the Waskesiu Chamber of Commerce building, was relocated to the Parks Canada compound on the edge of the townsite.
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Wage increases, new paid holidays and a big signing bonus are part of the new contract for CAMI employees in Ingersoll, Ont.
Two people were arrested on alleged trafficking and gun-related charges.
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As the cleanup continues from the Wheatley explosion in 2021, the project team says it has found what it believes is a wooden-cased petroleum well.
As the City of Windsor celebrates the first east-end edition of its popular Open Streets event, officials say it likely won't be the last.
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Work crews have been busy in the British Columbia legislature over the summer, prying apart desks in the historic chamber and piling them up in hallways as they tried to work out how to fit in six more seats.
The two top contenders in British Columbia's provincial election dove deep into the various issues plaguing the Metro Vancouver area on Sunday, in some cases hearing directly from those most affected.
A Victoria woman is now $1 million richer after winning a Maxmillions prize on a recent Lotto Max Draw.
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Despite the heavy rain, plenty of muscle turned up for United Way’s annual Pull the Bus fundraiser in Lethbridge Friday.
Lethbridge County has rescinded its fire restriction as a result of the recent cool, wet weathr.
The Lethbridge Hurricanes kicked off the 2024-25 season on a winning note Friday night, defeating the Edmonton Oil Kings 3-1 in a game played at VisitLethbridge.com Arena.
This week marks the first full week of winter and with that, a sad ending to being summer tourists. Officials with Indigenous Tourism Ontario however say it was a banner summer for operators in the province.
The Royal Canadian Mint has introduced its latest Gold Maple Leaf bullion coin – made entirely from gold sourced from a single mine in northern Ontario
A northern Ontario man is facing a $12,000 fine after illegally shooting a moose near the Batchawan River.
Newfoundland and Labrador sponsored a minor football team in England, now they’re about to play one of the biggest clubs in European soccer.
Newfoundland and Labrador's chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
A 16-year-old biennial event aimed at fostering business in the country's eastern Arctic and northern regions has been cancelled indefinitely as a dispute unfolds between Inuit in Canada and a Labrador group claiming to share their heritage.
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