‘Now You See Me’ races past ‘Running Man’ at the box office

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Justice Smith, left, Ariana Greenblatt, Dominic Sessa, Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher and Dave Franco star in “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t.” Katalin Ve rmew — ap

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By Lindsey Bahr

The Associated Press

It’s no magic trick: The third installment in the thieving magician “Now You See Me” series beat the high-profile action pic “The Running Man” at the North American box office this weekend. Lionsgate’s “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t” pulled in $21.3 million, while Paramount’s “The Running Man” made $17 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

“Now You See Me: Now You Don’t,” which cost a reported $90 million to produce, comes almost 10 years after the second film. Including ticket sales from 64 international territories, its worldwide opening is estimated to be around $75.5 million. Going into the weekend, it was expected to be a closer race between the two newcomers.

“Honestly, I didn’t see us being number one for the weekend about 10 days ago,” Kevin Grayson, the president of worldwide distribution for Lionsgate’s motion picture group, said Sunday. “But as we started to get closer and ticket sale numbers started to pop, we saw that there was going to be a horse race. Then we pulled away Saturday morning.”

Reviews were mixed on Rotten Tomatoes, coming in at 59%. According to PostTrak polling, audiences were a bit more positive, with 63% saying they would definitely recommend.

Audience scores were slightly less for “The Running Man,” which had a 58% “definitely recommend.” Both earned a B+ CinemaScore, but more people chose the franchise. One key difference is that women made up more of the “Now You See Me” audience (54%). They only accounted for 37% of “The Running Man” ticket buyers.

Edgar Wright directed and co-wrote “The Running Man,” the second adaptation of Stephen King’s novel, first published in 1982. The first film starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and was released in 1987 to mixed reviews and a tepid box office, earning only $38 million against a $27 million budget.

Paramount Pictures released “The Running Man” in 3,400 domestic locations and 58 international markets. Worldwide, it earned $28.2 million against a reported $110 million budget.

The weekend’s other new opener, “Keeper,” the third feature from “Longlegs” filmmaker Oz Perkins, cratered with $2.5 million and a D+ CinemaScore. But as an acquisition title for Neon, it’s also not a disaster.