“The Secret Life of Pets” Leads Box Office for Second Week

The film is directed by Paul Feig (The Heat, Bridesmaids), written by Feig and Katie Dippold, and produced by Ivan Reitman and Amy Pascal.

The Secret Life of Pets took the top spot at the box office for a second straight week with an estimated haul of $50.6 million. The film is tracking strongly and could put a dent in the audience for “Ghostbusters”. Sony called the result “a triumph”. That is a heck of a lot more than most comedies cost to produce.

That way, we might end up with a Ghostbusters film that people enjoy more on merit, rather than exclusively because of its importance. Ghostbusters stars Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Kristen Wiig and Leslie Jones as the titular team that must save New York City from an onslaught of paranormal activity. “The controversy and all the attention helped us get out there”, said Josh Greenstein, Sony’s president of world-wide marketing and distribution.

Media analyst Paul Dergarabedian told CNN that “the power of the brand, the nostalgia factor and the appeal of the female cast held more sway with audiences than the critical barbs thrown at the movie”. However, in a recent interview with The Globe and Mail, filmmaker and director of the original film Ivan Reitman said this idea was “never real”. “It’s still an asterisk”.

The opening was good enough to give it only second place, behind The Secret Life Of Pets (Universal), which took some US$50.6 million in its second weekend.

The animated feature film about domesticated creatures out on their own in the Big Apple has earned a total of $203.2 million in the U.S.

However, for those who stayed until the very end of the credits, we already have a hint of what the sequel will offer, and it teased the arrival of an evil force we’ve already seen before.

Rounding out the top three was “The Legend of Tarzan“, which collected just over $11 million. That film added another $11 million this weekend to bring it to $445 million, a move that earns it the title of the highest grossing animated film domestically. Its domestic total is now sitting on $445.5 million. “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates”, $7.5 million ($2.1 million international). 6. At the same time, Bryan Cranston’s latest star vehicle underwhelmed while Woody Allen’s new limited release hit a home run.

The comedy horror, starring Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig, will need to impress worldwide audiences to warrant its $144m budget.