‘Demon Slayer’ tops ‘Him’ to win weekend box office

LOS ANGELES – “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba — the Movie Infinity Castle” is the top-grossing film at North American theaters for the second straight weekend, taking in $17.3 million, according to industry estimates released Sunday.

Director Haruo Sotozaki’s anime film saw a steep drop from its $70 million domestic opening last weekend, Comscore reported.

“Him,” a horror film produced by Jordan Peele and set in the world of professional football, opened with $13.5 million for second place.

This image released by Universal Pictures shows Marlon Wayans, left, and Tyriq Withers in a scene from “Him.” (Universal Pictures via AP)

“The Conjuring: Last Rites” was third with $12.9 million Friday through Sunday in its third week in theaters.

“The Long Walk” and “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale,” both in their second weekend, were next with $6.3 million each.

The romantic fantasy “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey,” starring Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell, opened with $3.5 million for sixth place.

Rounding out the top 10 domestic releases were “The Senior” ($2.7 million), a 30th anniversary re-release of “Toy Story” ($1.4 million), “Sight & Sound Presents: NOAH – Live!” ($1.3 million) and “Weapons” ($1.26 million).

Neither a Jordan Peele-produced horror nor a Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell romantic drama were enough to continue the September hot streak at the movies.

After back-to-back weekends that had films majorly overperforming, the North American box office slowed significantly.

‘Demon Slayer’ is highest grossing anime film

Overall ticket sales were down nearly 50% from last weekend, with the holdover champion “Demon Slayer” edging out the newcomer “Him” for first place.

Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures’ “Demon Slayer” added $17.3 million over the weekend, bringing its total to $104.7 million, which makes it the highest grossing anime film ever in North America.

The football horror “Him” opened in second place with an estimated $13.5 million in ticket sales.

Produced by Peele’s Monkeypaw and directed by Justin Tipping, “Him” is about a promising young quarterback (Tyriq Withers) who is invited to train with a veteran (Marlon Wayans) at an isolated compound.”Him” was also nearly upstaged by another horror, “The Conjuring: Last Rights,” which made an estimated $13 million in its third weekend. With a global total of $400 million, it’s now the biggest film in the Conjuring universe.

They are two of three horror movies in this weekend’s top 10, including “Weapons.” According to data firm Comscore, this year that genre alone has generated $1.1 billion in domestic box office receipts, just several million short of the 2017 record driven by “It” and “Get Out.”

“Horror movies have been on a bit of a hot streak,” said Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s head of marketplace trends. “It’s going to be a record-breaking year.” (With CNS and AP reports)

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