NEWSMAKERS FOR JULY 24

Victories for ‘Dunkirk,’ ‘Girls Trip’ at movies

LOS ANGELES

It’s victory for “Dunkirk” and “Girls Trip” at the box office this weekend. Both original and well-reviewed films smashed expectations and enticed diverse audiences to the theaters, even though cumulatively summer remains down from last year.

Christopher Nolan’s World War II epic brought in an estimated $50.5 million to easily top the charts, according to Warner Bros., while the raucous comedy “Girls Trip” broke the R-rated comedy slump of 2017 with $30.4 million to take second place.

“Not so successful was Luc Besson’s nearly $180 million sci-fi epic “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets,” which earned $17 million from North American theaters over the weekend for a fifth-place start. It came in behind “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” in third in its third weekend with $22 million and “War for the Planet of the Apes” in fourth place in its second weekend with $20.4 million.

‘Wonder Woman II’

SAN DIEGO

Wonder Woman has a few reasons to celebrate.

As of Sunday, the superhero pic is now the highest-grossing film of the summer with $398 million from North American theaters, and the sequel is official. Warner Bros. is not saying much about the inevitable follow-up to the smash hit, but the studio did flash a title card with the words “Wonder Woman II” during its Comic-Con presentation Saturday.

But that was the extent of the “Wonder Woman II” talk at the fan convention.

Letterman donates memorabilia to Ball St.

MUNCIE, Ind.

Ball State University alum and comedian David Letterman has donated more than 1,000 memorabilia items – including 15 Emmy Awards he won as talk show host – to the eastern Indiana school.

Ball State is appraising, researching and doing inventory on the items.

The gift was announced during a 2015 appearance by Letterman on the Muncie campus. Some items started arriving last August. Shipments have continued this year.

Letterman’s Kennedy Center Honor medal from 2012 and signed photos of President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama from their “Late Show” appearances also were donated.

Letterman signed off in 2015 as host of CBS’ “Late Show.” He hosted NBC’s “Late Night” from 1982 to 1993.

He graduated from Ball State in 1969.

Associated Press