LOS ANGELES, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Disney and 20th Century Fox's sports drama film "Ford v Ferrari" sprinted to the top of North American weekend box office with a better-than-expected 31 million U.S. dollars debut.
Directed by James Mangold and starring Oscar Winners Matt Damon and Christian Bale, "Ford v Ferrari" is based on the true story of the events surrounding the famous rivalry between Ford Motor Company and Ferrari in 1966.
The film, with a reported budget of 97 million dollars, follows the visionary American car designer Carroll Shelby and the fearless British-born driver Ken Miles, who together battled corporate interference, the laws of physics, and their own personal demons to build a revolutionary race car for Ford Motor Company and take on the dominating race cars of Ferrari racing team at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France.
The film brought in 21.4 million dollars from 41 overseas markets for a worldwide debut of 52.4 million dollars through Sunday, according to studio figures collected by measurement firm Comscore.
"Ford v Ferrari" received a rare "A+" rating from moviegoers on CinemaScore and a 92-percent certified fresh rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes to date.
Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment's war film "Midway" financed by Chinese companies moved to second with 8.75 million dollars in its second weekend, pushing its North American total to 35.14 million dollars.
Directed by Roland Emmerich and based on real-life events, the film centers on the 1942 Battle of Midway, a clash between the American fleet and the Imperial Japanese Navy which marked a pivotal turning point in the Pacific Theater during the Second World War.
The World War II epic, is one of the costliest independent films in Hollywood history. The total budget is approximately 100 million dollars, partly covered by Chinese companies including Starlight Culture Entertainment and Shanghai Ruyi Films. In terms of distribution, Summit Entertainment is responsible for the United States, Bona Film Group is responsible for the Greater China area, according to the website of Starlight Culture Entertainment.
"Midway" was released in Chinese mainland on Nov. 8, the same day it opened in North America, and grossed 214 million yuan (around 30.5 million dollars) over ten days according to the Chinese film database Maoyan.
Another newcomer, Sony's action comedy film "Charlie's Angels" opened with 8.6 million dollars this weekend.
Directed by Elizabeth Banks, the film is the third installment in the "Charlie's Angels" franchise. The film stars Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, and Ella Balinska as the new generation of Angels who are working for a private detective agency and taking on the toughest jobs everywhere.
Paramount's comedy film "Playing With Fire" landed in fourth with 8.55 million dollars in its second weekend for a North American total of 25.49 million dollars.
Directed by Andy Fickman and starring John Cena, Keegan-Michael Key, John Leguizamo, Brianna Hildebrand, Dennis Haysbert, and Judy Greer, the film follows a team of expert firefighters who must watch over three siblings who have been separated from their parents and quickly learn that kids - much like fires - are wild and unpredictable.
Universal's comedy "Last Christmas" finished fifth with 6.7 million in its second weekend for a North American total of 22.57 million dollars. Directed by Paul Feig, the film follows a young woman Kate subscribed to a bundle of bad decisions in a London-set romantic comedy taking place at Christmas.
