He may have spent the weekend ducking critical brickbats and bullets, but** Taken**’s Bryan Mills has emerged victorious, at least in the eyes of American cinemagoers. The third – and apparently final – instalment of the Taken franchise has scored a healthy $40 million this weekend, according to studio estimates.
The film, which finds Liam Neeson’s Mills on the run after ex-wife Lenore is murdered, scored some of the worst reviews of the series, and that’s saying something given that it followed Taken 2. Still, audiences appeared to have been ready for more of Mills’ particular skills and with no other wide releases on this largely forgotten early January weekend, Olivier Megaton’s film was able to triumph over some awards contenders.
Despite its own issues – accusations of fudged facts and other concerns – civil rights drama Selma soared into the top ten in second place after adding 2,157 screens to its release count as it ramped up a platform release. The film made $11.2 million for a $13.4 million US total so far. That meant Into The Woods was pushed to third with $9.7 million, and the musical has now made more than $100 million in the States. The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies fell from the top spot to fourth with $9.4 million, with $237.5 million taken in the US and a running worldwide gross of more than $753 million. Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken rounded out the top five, adding $8.3 million.
The Imitation Game added screens and rose one place to sixth, earning $7.6 million, while Night At The Museum: Secret Of The Tomb fell two places to seventh with $6.7 million. Annie was also down, landing eighth with $4.9 million and The Woman In Black 2: Angel Of Death sank to ninth, scaring up $4.8 million. Finally, in tenth, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 continued to draw audiences despite eight weeks in the charts, making $3.7 million for a healthy $329.5 million total to date across the pond.
To see Bryan Mills punch out the competition in the full chart listings, head to Box Office Mojo.