Movies: ‘Spider-Man’ swings back to the top spot at the box office

LOS ANGELES –

“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” swung its webs back to the top of the box office, while “The Flash” saw a decline faster than the film’s fast-paced nature.

Spidey’s animated sequel — starring Shameik Moore as teen web-slinger Miles Morales — recaptured the No. 1 spot in its fourth week in North American theaters, grossing US$19.3 million. The latter number helped the Sony film reach $317.1 million domestically and an impressive $560.3 million worldwide.

“Spider-Verse” beat out “Elemental”, which took second place for the second week in a row with an estimated $18.5 million. The movie held up after Pixar’s worst three-day opening last week.

No other movie saw such a dramatic drop as “The Flash” with $15.2 million for the big budget offering. Second-week output for the DC and Warner Bros. superhero movie starring Ezra Miller dropped 72% after opening with a below-par $55 million.

So far, the numbers collected by “The Flash” are no match for a movie with a $200 million production budget. Some attribute the film’s struggles to Miller’s off-screen behavior, including arrests and misconduct. The actor has apologized and sought mental health treatment.

“The Flash” could barely beat “No Hard Feelings,” starring Jennifer Lawrence and Andrew Barth Feldman. The raunchy comedy, which opened in fourth place with $15.1 million, tells a story about a teenager’s parents who until now hired a woman (Lawrence) to boost his self-confidence.

“Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” came in fifth with $11.6 million in its third week with a total of $122.9 million. It came ahead of Wes Anderson’s “Asteroid City,” which outperformed expectations at $9 million.

Ranked seventh, “The Little Mermaid” raked in $8.6 million to bring its total to over $270 million.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday in U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released on Monday.

1. “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”, US$19.3 million.

2. “Elementary”, $18.4 million.

3. The Flash,” US$15.2 million.

4. “No Hard Feelings”, $15.1 million.

5. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” US$11.6 million.

6. “Asteroid City” US$9 million.

7. “The Little Mermaid”, $8.6 million.

8. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” $3.5 million.

9. “The Blackening”, US$3 million.

10. “The Boogeyman”, US$2.5 million.