'Riddick' illuminates box office with $18.7M debut

By DERRIK J. LANG
AP Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES

The sci-fi thriller starring Vin Diesel as an intergalactic criminal with built-in night vision debuted in first place with $18.7 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. “Riddick” is the third installment in the series, following the $11.6 million debut of 2000’s “Pitch Black” and the $24.3 million launch of 2004’s “The Chronicles of Riddick.”

Dergarabedian said box office totals are up more than 26 percent this weekend over last year when “The Possession” scared up $9.3 million in the top spot in its fourth weekend. “Riddick” will face stiff competition next weekend when horror sequel “Insidious: Chapter 2” and “The Family” starring Robert De Niro and Tommy Lee Jones hit theaters.

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Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released on Monday.

1. “Riddick,” $18.7 million ($7.4 million international).

2. “Lee Daniels’ The Butler,” $8.9 million.

3. “Instructions Not Included,” $8.1 million.

4. “We’re the Millers,” $7.9 million ($9.9 million international).

5. “Planes,” $4.3 million ($7 million International).

6. “One Direction: This Is Us,” $4.1 million ($7.6 million international).

7. “Elysium,” $3.1 million ($21.2 million).

8. “Blue Jasmine,” $2.7 million.

9. “Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters,” $2.5 million ($6 million international).

10. “The World’s End,” $2.3 million.

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Estimated weekend ticket sales Friday through Sunday at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada) for films distributed overseas by Hollywood studios, according to Rentrak:

1. “Elysium,” $21.2 million.

2. “White House Down,” $12.6 million.

3. “We’re the Millers,” $9.9 million.

4. “The Conjuring,” $8.5 million.

5. “One Direction: This Is Us,” $7.6 million.

6. “Riddick,” $7.4 million.

7. “The Smurfs 2,” $7.3 million.

8. “Planes,” $7 million.

9. “Grown Ups 2,” $6.7 million.

10. “The Spy: Undercover Operation,” $6.4 million.

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Follow AP Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/derrikjlang.

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Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.