‘Super Mario’ fights off ‘Evil Dead’ to stay on top

LOS ANGELES

“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” did an impressive $58.2 million in ticket sales in North American movie theaters this weekend, easily fending off two new challengers, estimates showed on April 23.

The joint effort of Universal, Nintendo and Illumination studios, now in its third week out, ranks as the year’s top movie so far, taking in an accumulated $434.3 million domestically and $437 million internationally.

Voice actors in the game-based animation include Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black and Keegan-Michael Key.

Second place for the Friday-through-Sunday period went to Warner Bros.’ blood-soaked horror movie “Evil Dead Rise,” at $23.5 million - “an excellent opening” for a movie made for just $17 million, said analyst David A. Gross.

Lily Sullivan and Alyssa Sutherland star as sisters battling a crew of demonic creatures known, not so subtly, as Deadites.

Another new release, MGM’s action war movie “Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant,” didn’t fare quite as well, taking in an estimated $6.3 million for third spot. Gross said that “weak start” fell well short of the average for the genre.

Jake Gyllenhaal stars in the film’s tale of a US army sergeant who, after returning to the United States, goes back to Afghanistan to rescue a friend (played by Iraq-born Dar Salim) who had once saved him from the Taliban.

In fourth place, still strong in its fifth week out, was Lionsgate’s neo-noir thriller “John Wick: Chapter 4,” at $5.8 million.

Keanu Reeves plays the titular hitman.

And in fifth was Amazon Studios’ “Air,” a sports drama about the business deal surrounding Nike and the Michael Jordan basketball shoe of the title name, at $5.5 million.

Rounding out the top 10 were “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” ($5.4 million),”The Pope’s Exorcist” ($3.3 million), “Renfield” ($3.1 million),”Beau Is Afraid” ($2.7 million) and “Suzume” ($1.6 million).