Moviegoers rush to ‘Doctor Strange,’ ‘Arrival’ post-election

“In the first weekend after the election, I think it’s clear that people find being able to go to the movie theatre is the perfect antidote to the election coverage,” said Dergarabedian. “There’s almost nowhere else that you can unplug the way you can when you go to the movie theatre.”

The good showing for “Arrival,” which cost $47 million to produce, was a welcome relief for Paramount. The studio has endured a string of disappointments — including “Ben-Hur” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows” — with a relatively thin slate of releases.

Paramount paid $20 million for the film’s domestic distribution rights. The film, in which a linguist is tasked by the government to communicate with newly arrived aliens, has drawn good reviews from critics.

Ang Lee’s “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk” also made its much awaited debuted, albeit on just two screens. The Sony Pictures release, which opens nationwide next week, grossed $120,300 from two theatres (one in New York, on in Los Angeles). The two locations are the only places in North America the film is screening in Lee’s innovative 120 frames-per-second version (five times the normal rate), in addition to being in 3-D and at 4k resolution.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Doctor Strange,” $43 million ($60.2 million international).

2. “Trolls,” $35.1 million ($18.3 million international).

3. “Arrival,” $24 million.

4. “Almost Christmas,” $15.6 million.

5. “Hacksaw Ridge,” $10.8 million.

6. “The Accountant,” $4.6 million.

7. “Shut In,” $3.7 million.

8. “Tyler Perry’s Boo! A Madea Halloween,” $3.6 million.

9. “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back,” $3.3 million.

10. “Inferno,” $3.3 million.

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Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP

Jake Coyle, The Associated Press

by Canadian Press

Moviegoers rush to ‘Doctor Strange,’ ‘Arrival’ post-election

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