Push Admin

Box office: 'Downton Abbey' beats Pitt, Stallone with $31-M debut

Article (news)

Rebecca Rubin, Variety.com via Reuters

<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B2JsCpxg42K/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:16px"><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;align-items:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:40px;margin-right:14px;width:40px"> </div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:100px"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:60px"> </div></div></div><div style="padding:19% 0"> </div><div style="display:block;height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B2JsCpxg42K/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%" target="_blank"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd" stroke="none" stroke-width="1"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></a></div><div style="padding-top:8px"><div style="color:#3897f0;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:550;line-height:18px"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B2JsCpxg42K/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%" target="_blank">View this post on Instagram</a></div></div><div style="padding:12.5% 0"> </div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;margin-bottom:14px;align-items:center"><div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(0px) translateY(7px)"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;height:12.5px;transform:rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px);width:12.5px;flex-grow:0;margin-right:14px;margin-left:2px"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(9px) translateY(-18px)"> </div></div><div style="margin-left:8px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:20px;width:20px"> </div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:2px solid transparent;border-left:6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom:2px solid transparent;transform:translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"> </div></div><div style="margin-left:auto"><div style="width:0px;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(16px)"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;flex-grow:0;height:12px;width:16px;transform:translateY(-4px)"> </div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(-4px) translateX(8px)"> </div></div></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center;margin-bottom:24px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:224px"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:144px"> </div></div><p style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B2JsCpxg42K/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A post shared by Downton Abbey (@downtonabbey_official)</a> on <time dateTime="2019-09-08T13:09:32+00:00" style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px">Sep 8, 2019 at 6:09am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://www.instagram.com/embed.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>LOS ANGELES -- In a box office win fit for a queen, Focus Features&#x27; &quot;Downton Abbey&quot; ruled over the competition in North America.</p><p>The big-screen continuation of the popular British TV show beat expectations with $31 million when it debuted in 3,079 theaters, setting a new opening weekend record for the studio. &quot;Downton Abbey&quot; easily surpassed newcomers &quot;Ad Astra&quot; and &quot;Rambo: Last Blood,&quot; which are in a close race for second place.</p><p>Overseas, the royal period drama has collected $41 million to date for a worldwide tally of $61.8 million. Series creator Julian Fellowes wrote &quot;Downton Abbey,&quot; while Michael Engler directed. Much of the cast from the TV show -- including Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Michelle Dockery and Maggie Smith -- returned for the film adaptation.</p><p>Moviegoers, consisting mostly of older females, awarded the film with an A CinemaScore -- the highest grade among this weekend&#x27;s new offerings. For comparison, &quot;Ad Astra&quot; landed a B- and &quot;Rambo: Last Blood&quot; secured a B. As for &quot;Downton Abbey,&quot; 74% of ticket buyers were female and 60% were over the age of 35.</p><p>&quot;Audiences were clearly ready to come back to Downton and visit the Crawleys and all the familiar faces upstairs and downstairs,&quot; said Lisa Bunnell, Focus Features president of distribution. &quot;At its core, it&#x27;s a story about family and audiences, both original fans and newcomers, are uplifted by that laughter and joy of the film.&quot;</p><p>Meanwhile, &quot;Ad Astra&quot; looks to have pulled slightly ahead of &quot;Rambo: Last Blood&quot; in North America, arriving on the higher end of projections with $19.2 million from 3,450 venues. Still, the astronaut drama starring Brad Pitt and directed by James Gray will need to have a long journey in multiplexes to justify its $80-million price tag. &quot;Ad Astra&quot; follows Roy McBride (Pitt), an astronaut on a mission across time and space to uncover the truth about his missing father. The cast also includes Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Liv Tyler and Donald Sutherland.</p><p>Though &quot;Rambo: Last Blood&quot; was forecasted to lead box office charts, the final chapter in Sylvester Stallone&#x27;s action franchise should finish the weekend in third place. The film earned $19.015 million from 3,618 locations, in line with studio expectations and slightly ahead of 2008&#x27;s &quot;Rambo&quot; ($18.2 million), the latest entry to grace the silver screen. Adrian Grunberg directed the film, which was co-written by Stallone.</p><p>&quot;Rambo: Last Blood&quot; is expected to be Stallone&#x27;s final go-around as John Rambo, a character first introduced to audiences in the 1980s. To no surprise, older men accounted for majority of opening weekend crowds: 66% of opening weekend crowds were male, while 42% were over the age of 30.</p><p>After two weeks atop domestic box office charts, Warner Bros.&#x27; &quot;It: Chapter Two&quot; slid to No. 4. The sequel, based on Stephen King&#x27;s terrifying novel, pulled in $17.2 million during its third outing for a domestic tally of $179 million.</p><p>Rounding out the top five is STX&#x27;s &quot;Hustlers&quot; with $17 million, an especially promising figure considering three new films debuted this weekend. After two weeks of release, &quot;Hustlers&quot; has amassed $62 million in North America and $9.84 million overseas for a worldwide haul of $72 million. The film -- directed by Lorene Scafaria and starring Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, Keke Palmer and Lili Reinhart -- cost $20 million to produce.</p><p>Not all holdovers were as fortunate. Warner Bros.&#x27; &quot;The Goldfinch&quot; plummeted to No. 15, scraping together just $760,000 from 2,542 theaters during its second weekend in theaters. Ansel Elgort stars in the movie adaptation of Donna Tartt&#x27;s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, which has made $4.5 million to date. Though Amazon Studios co-financed &quot;The Goldfinch,&quot; the $45-million film still stands to be a big money loser for Warner Bros.</p>

<p>In a box office win fit for a queen, Focus Features' "Downton Abbey" ruled over the competition in North America.</p>

In a box office win fit for a queen, Focus Features' "Downton Abbey" ruled over the competition in North America.

Box office: 'Downton Abbey' beats Pitt, Stallone with $31-M debut

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

Showbiz

Box office: 'Downton Abbey' beats Pitt, Stallone with $31-M debut

Rebecca Rubin,

Variety.com via Reuters

Published Sep 23, 2019 11:33 AM PHT

Read More:

box office

Hollywood

Downton Abbey

Ad Astra

Brad Pitt

Rambo

Sylvester Stallone

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.