Glass remains shatter-proof at North American box offices

Movie still of Glass starring (from left) Samuel L Jackson, James McAvoy and Bruce Willis. PHOTO: THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Glass proved shatter-proof atop North American box offices for a third straight weekend, earning US$9.5 million (S$12.8 million), industry estimates showed on Sunday (Feb 3).

Directed and financed by M. Night Shyamalan, Universal's superhero thriller unites narratives from his Unbreakable (2000) and Split (2016) movies. Much of the film, starring Bruce Willis, Samuel L Jackson and James McAvoy, takes place in a psychiatric facility.

Keeping it company in the number two spot was buddy drama The Upside, with earnings of US$8.9 million over the three-day weekend, according to industry tracker Exhibitor Relations. The movie stars Bryan Cranston as a wealthy quadriplegic who hires ex-convict Kevin Hart as his caretaker.

Miss Bala, in which Gina Rodriguez features as a Los Angeles Latina who finds herself mixed up in the dark world of drug trafficking on the Mexican border, made its entry at third place to earn US$6.7 million. Catherine Hardwicke directs this remake of the 2011 Mexican original.

Rodriguez, Golden Globe-winning star of the TV comedy Jane The Virgin, is among 95 per cent of the film's cast and crew who are Latino - which is still something of a Hollywood rarity but a figure Rodriguez hopes will become more normal.

Sinking a notch to fourth place was superhero flick Aquaman, starring Jason Momoa as the underwater king. It earned US$4.8 million, adding to a global take of more than US$1 billion which has made it the largest DC Comics adaptation of all time, according to Exhibitor Relations.

After eight weeks, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse remained in fifth spot, with takings of US$4.4 million. The film is the favourite to win an Oscar for best animated feature later this month.

Rounding out the weekend's top 10 were: Green Book (US$4.3 million), The Kid Who Would Be King (US$4.2 million), A Dog's Way Home (US$3.5 million), Escape Room (US$2.9 million) and They Shall Not Grow Old (US$2.4 million).

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