“Boss Baby” dethrones “Beauty” at BO

Fox-DreamWorks animated movie “Boss Baby” has bottled up $15.5 million upon release, ending the streak for Disney's “Beauty and the Beast” which had ruled the box office with record-breaking grosses since it hit theatres in mid-March. The Emma Watson-starrer earned just over $13 million on Friday.

The projected opening weekend total for “Boss Baby” now stands above previous expectations at over $50 million. “Beauty” will also continue its fantastical run, and should land in the $45 to $50 million range.

Paramount's “Ghost in the Shell”, meanwhile, showed a comparatively meagre draw. The action film starring Scarlett Johansson earned $7.7 million on Friday and tracked for about $20 million in its opening weekend. 

“The Boss Baby” — loosely based on the 2010 picture book of the same name written and illustrated by Marla Frazee — features a voice cast that includes Alec Baldwin, Miles Christopher Bakshi, Steve Buscemi, Jimmy Kimmel, Lisa Kudrow and Tobey Maguire. Tom McGrath directed the film about a secret agent baby who engages in a war between babies and puppies.

Source: Variety