newsmakers

newsmakers

Marvel’s ‘Guardians’ rockets to top of movie box office

LOS ANGELES

“Guardians of the Galaxy” blasted past expectations at the weekend box office.

Marvel Studios’ cosmic romp starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana and Dave Bautista as members of an intergalactic band of rebels earned $94 million in its debut weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. Ahead of its Friday debut, box- office analysts initially projected that the comic-book adaptation would earn between $60 million and $75 million in North America.

“Guardians,” which also features Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel voicing the computer-generated characters Rocket Raccoon and Groot, originally was considered a risky proposition for Marvel and “Guardians” distributor Walt Disney Co. because it features more-obscure characters from the Marvel universe and is set almost entirely in outer space.

Despite any apprehension, Marvel was betting on “Guardians,” written and directed by “Slither” filmmaker James Gunn, to be a blockbuster. The studio announced at Comic-Con in San Diego last month that a sequel is already set for release in 2017. Marvel’s next films are the follow-up “The Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Ant-Man” starring Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas. Both movies are coming in 2015.

Marvel comic book adaptations have dominated 2014 with Sony Pictures’ “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” 20th Century Fox’s “X-Men: Days of Future Past” and Marvel Studios’ “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” each arriving in first place at the box office on their respective opening weekends.

In a distant second place at the North American box office, “Lucy,” starring Scarlett Johansson as a woman with mind-bending powers, nabbed $18.3 million in its second weekend, bringing the Universal Pictures release’s domestic total to $80 million.

Meanwhile, Universal’s James Brown biopic “Get on Up” featuring Chadwick Boseman as the soulful singer opened in third place with $14 million.

Best-selling author Billie Letts dies at 76

TULSA, Okla.

Best-selling author Billie Letts has died at an Oklahoma hospital.

Letts’ publicist, Arlene Johnson, says Letts died Saturday after a brief illness. Letts was 76.

Letts’ novels include “Where the Heart Is,” which was turned into a movie starring Natalie Portman, Ashley Judd, Stockard Channing and Joan Cusak. Letts also taught English and creative writing at Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant.

She is survived by three sons — Dana Letts, musician Shawn Letts and playwright and actor Tracy Letts. Tracy Letts won a Pulitzer Prize for his play “August: Osage County,” which also was made into a movie starring Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts.

Johnson says funeral services are pending.

Associated Press