By Rebecca Rubin
LOS ANGELES, (Variety.com) – “The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard” nabbed the top spot on box office charts, debuting with $11.6 million from 3,331 U.S. venues over the weekend.
The Lionsgate movie, a sequel to the 2017 action comedy “The Hitman’s Bodyguard,” opened in theaters on Wednesday and has collected $17 million to date.
Starring Salma Hayek, Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson, “The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard” is one of the rare post-vaccine era movies to play exclusively in theaters. Opening weekend crowds were mostly older men, with 55% of ticket buyers identifying as male and 66% over the age of 25.
As the only new nationwide release, the poorly reviewed “The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard” didn’t have much competition to claim No. 1 in North America. Falling not far behind, Paramount’s “A Quiet Place Part II” slid to second place with $9.4 million in ticket sales, representing a mere 22% drop from the weekend prior. After four weeks in theaters, the film — directed by John Krasinski and featuring Emily Blunt — has generated a strong $125 million to date.
