‘Ant-Man’ stumbles but still tops box office

LOS ANGELES

Disney’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” fell off a cliff but managed to land on all six feet this weekend, topping the North American box office with an estimated $32.2 million in ticket sales.

Industry analyst Exhibitor Relations said the latest Marvel superhero film was down a sharp 70 percent from its strong opening weekend but still topped the field. Paul Rudd plays the size-changing title ant and alter ego Scott Lang, while Evangeline Lilly is heiress Hope van Dyne and the Wasp.

In second, at $23.1 million, was a new horror comedy with a different sort of star: A drug-crazed bear. Universal’s “Cocaine Bear” is based, if loosely, on the true story of a black bear that finds a large cache of lost cocaine in the Tennessee woods, and eats it.

Chaos, gore and wackiness ensue in a movie that also stars Keri Russell of “Felicity” fame. Exhibitor Relations playfully calls the film “Jaws in the Woods on Crack.”

In third place was another new release, Lionsgate’s “Jesus Revolution,” at $15.5 million. Joel Courtney and Kelsey Grammer star in the story of the Jesus movement in California in the 1960s.

“This is a very good opening for a Christian drama,” said David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. “Critics are generally lukewarm about these movies, but when they work, audiences are enthusiastic, and ‘Jesus Revolution’ is working.”

Fourth spot went to 20th Century’s blockbuster “Avatar: The Way of Water,” adding a respectable $4.7 million in its 11th week to a global total now over $2.26 billion.

And in fifth, also showing durability in its 10th week in theaters, was Universal’s family-oriented “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” at $4.1 million.

Rounding out the top 10 were: “Magic Mike’s Last Dance” ($3 million), “Knock at the Cabin” ($1.9 million), “80 for Brady” ($1.8 million), “Missing” ($1 million) and “A Man Called Otto” ($850,000).