‘The Martian’ lands with $55 million debut

‘The Martian’ lands with $55 million debut

NEW YORK

Opening just days after NASA announced findings showing water on Mars, “The Martian” soaked up moviegoers at the box office.

Ridley Scott’s 3-D space epic touched down in theaters with a robust $55 million over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. The results again proved moviegoers’ abiding thirst for space adventures, particularly ones that rely more on mathematics than monsters.

The 20th Century Fox release, starring Matt Damon as an astronaut left for dead on Mars, exceeded expectations to nearly rank as the top October debut ever. The estimated North American opening of “The Martian” surpassed that of Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” ($47.5 million) and virtually equaled the debut of Alfonso Cuaron’s “Gravity” ($55.8 million).

Last week’s box-office champ, “Hotel Transylvania 2,” slid to second with an estimated $33 million. Sony’s animated sequel has made $90.5 million in two weeks.

Denis Villeneuve’s drug war thriller “Sicario,” starring Emily Blunt, shot up to third with $12.1 million for the acclaimed Lionsgate release.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday:

1.“The Martian,” $55 million.

2.“Hotel Transylvania 2,” $33 million.

3.“Sicario,” $12.1 million.

4.“The Intern,” $11.6 million.

5.“Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials,” $7.7 million.

6.“Black Mass,” $5.9 million.

7.“Everest,” $5.5 million ($16.4 million international).

8.“The Visit,” $3.9 million.

9.“War Room,” $2.8 million.

10.“The Perfect Guy,” $2.4 million.