Scarlett Johansson beats Dwayne Johnson at US box office

Scarlett Johansson has come out on top in a box office brawl with former wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

Johansson's movie, “Lucy”, an action thriller about a woman who unlocks untapped brain powers, made U$44m in the US and Canada over the weekend, according to studio estimates. Directed by France's Luc Besson, Lucy tells of a woman who can move objects with her mind after a drug causes her brain to operate at abnormally high levels.

Johnson's fantasy movie, “Hercules”, had to settle for an estimated U$29m between Friday and Sunday. This movie sees Johnson take on the role of the fabled Greek demigod, previously played on screen by Steve Reeves, Arnold Schwarzenegger and others.

The film's distributor Paramount said the takings equaled expectations. "It's exactly what we had hoped for," said Megan Colligan, head of domestic marketing and distribution at Paramount Pictures.

Overall North American box office takings are still down around 20% compared to last year's record summer. It is hoped Guardians of the Galaxy, the latest comic book fantasy from the Marvel stable, will reverse the trend when it opens in cinemas later this week.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, last week's box office champ, fell two places to three with third weekend takings of U$16.4m.

Two other new entries enjoyed more limited success than Lucy and Hercules, with both making their debuts outside of this week's top five. Those are, “So It Goes”, a romantic comedy starring Michael Douglas and Diane Keaton, opened at eight with first weekend takings of U$4.6m, and “A Most Wanted Man” made its bow at 10 with a U$2.7m tally.

By Adriana Rueda

Source: BBC News

Image: BBC News