LOS ANGELES: “Wrath of Man,” a heist film starring Jason Statham, opened atop the weekend box office with $8.1 million, ending five weeks of dominance by action movies set in Asia.
The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer movie from director Guy Ritchie had been forecast to generate about $7.8 million in domestic ticket sales. It far exceeded the No. 2 and No. 3 films, “Demon Slayer” and “Mortal Kombat,” which were released in April.
The weekend’s sales were in line with what theater executives describe as a slow recovery. Adam Aron, chief executive officer of AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc., said on May 6 that while ticket purchases have picked up from a year ago, they won’t accelerate until later in 2021, when major blockbusters held back during the pandemic are finally released.
