“Magnificent Seven” makes $35m debut

Washington hasn't had a film open to less than $20 million since 2007's “The Great Debaters”, a remarkable display of consistency. He'll be back on screens at the end of the year in “Fences”, an adaptation of August Wilson's play, that he directs and stars in alongside Viola Davis. It is expected to be an Oscar contender.

 “The Magnificent Seven” easily snagged the crown from Tom Hanks-starrer “Sully”, the retelling of the “Miracle on the Hudson” landing that topped the box office for two weeks. The drama slid to third place.

“Storks”, an animated comedy from Warner Bros., came in second with $21.8 million. The film centers on a group of storks who have transitioned from baby delivering to hauling packages for an e-commerce behemoth. Andy Samberg, Kelsey Grammer, Jennifer Aniston, Keegan-Michael Key, and Jordan Peele are among the recognisable voices providing some of the film's aural texture.

“Bridget Jones's Baby” took fourth place, while “Blair Witch” rounded out the top five.

Overall box office results were down more than 20%. It was a difficult match-up, as “The Magnificent Seven” and “Storks” were unable to match the windfall enjoyed by the debuts of “The Intern” and “Hotel Transylvania 2” over the same weekend a year ago.

Next weekend brings the release of the Tim Burton fantasy “Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children” and “Deepwater Horizon”, an adventure story about one of the worst oil spills in history.