‘Rogue One’ tops box office for third weekend
‘Rogue One’ tops box office for third weekend
NEW YORK (AP) — The new year at the box office is starting where 2016 left off: with Disney on top.
The “Star Wars” spinoff “Rogue One” led the box office for the third consecutive week, taking in an estimated $64.3 million during the four-day New Year’s weekend, according to studio estimates Monday.
The success of Gareth Edwards’ “Rogue One” has only further cemented a record year for the Walt Disney Co., which ran up $2.7 billion in domestic ticket sales in 2016 and accounted for more than 25 percent of the market.
“Rogue One,” which has now grossed about $440 million in North America and nearly $800 million globally, currently slots in as the year’s No. 2 movie, following “Finding Dory” (also from Disney). The studio notched four of the five top films and has, in a year marked by franchise struggles, made a routine of churning out well-reviewed, hugely profitable blockbusters.
The weekend pushed the industry to $11.4 billion in ticket sales in 2016, topping the $11.1 billion record set in 2015. The record revenue, propelled primarily by the Disney juggernaut, masks undeniable challenges in the business. Attendance was largely flat. Streaming and television continue to grow as competitors. Some glaring failures (“Suicide Squad”) and flops (“Independence Day: Resurgence”) showed considerable franchise fatigue with audiences. And several studios (Paramount, Sony) endured much leaner years.
Here’s a look at estimated ticket sales for Friday through Monday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore:
1. “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” $64.3 million ($45.8 million international).
2. “Sing,” $56.4 million ($24.5 million international).
3. “Passengers,” $20.7 million ($21.7 million international).
4. “Moana,” $14.3 million ($21.3 million international).
5. “Why Him?” $13 million ($10.1 million international).
6. “Fences,” $12.7 million.
7. “La La Land,” $12.3 million ($6 million international).
8. “Assassin’s Creed,” $10.9 million ($22 million international).
9. “Manchester by the Sea,” $5.5 million.
10. “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” $5.4 million ($8.8 million international).
IS suicide bomber kills 36 in Baghdad market
BAGHDAD (AP) — A suicide bomber driving a pickup loaded with explosives struck a bustling market in Baghdad on Monday, killing at least 36 people in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group hours after French President Francois Hollande arrived in the Iraqi capital.
The bomb went off in a fruit and vegetable market that was packed with day laborers, a police officer said, adding that another 52 people were wounded.
During a press conference with Hollande, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the bomber pretended to be a man seeking to hire day laborers. Once the workers gathered around, he detonated the vehicle.
IS claimed the attack in a statement circulated on a militant website often used by the extremists. It was the third IS-claimed attack in as many days in and around Baghdad, underscoring the lingering threat posed by the group despite a string of setbacks elsewhere in the country over the past year, including in and around the northern city of Mosul.
The attack took place in Sadr City, a vast Shiite district in eastern Baghdad that has been repeatedly targeted by Sunni extremists since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
Cruel bully or modern-day Wyatt Earp? Sheriff’s mixed legacy
PHOENIX (AP) — The full-throated bravado that made Sheriff Joe Arpaio a household name in debates over illegal immigration and the treatment of jail inmates was missing as he started his last news conference in a law enforcement career that spanned a half-century.
After being charged with a crime and booted from office by voters, the 84-year-old Arpaio looked tired and dispirited as he defended his investigation of President Barack Obama’s birth certificate — a debunked controversy that critics say Arpaio exploited to raise funds from his supporters.
The sheriff mispronounced several words as he attacked the birth record of the president he blames for his political demise. The media-savvy lawman ended the news conference by uncharacteristically declining to mix it up with reporters about the credibility of the five-year Obama investigation by his volunteer posse.
He told his 75 supporters in the room that the investigation wasn’t about whether Obama was born in the U.S. and instead focused on a claim that the birth certificate was fraudulent.
“This is tough for me to say — believe me, all of you media know me,” Arpaio said. “Sometimes I get diarrhea of the mouth. But I am going to tell you, we are not going to answer any questions. There is more sensitive information that we have regarding this matter, and I am not going into it.”
Alabama band to march at inauguration, igniting controversy
The marching band of Alabama’s oldest private, historically black liberal arts college has accepted an invitation to perform at President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural parade, organizers said.
Talladega College’s band will march at Trump’s inauguration as other historically black schools such as Howard University, which performed at President Barack Obama’s first inaugural parade, said they won’t be marching in the Jan. 20 event.
“We were a bit horrified to hear of the invitation,” said Shirley Ferrill of Fairfield, Alabama, a member of Talladega’s Class of 1974.
“I don’t want my alma mater to give the appearance of supporting him,” Ferrill said of Trump on Monday. “Ignore, decline or whatever, but please don’t send our band out in our name to do that.”
The move has lit up Talladega College’s social media sites with a sharp debate about the band’s decision to participate in the parade. Some people voiced strong opposition, while others support the band’s participation.