‘Detective Pikachu’ Debuts With $58 Million

Variety.com: Disney and Marvel’s “Avengers: Endgame” remained victorious at the North American box office, collecting $65 million during its third weekend in theaters.

“Avengers: Endgame” officially passed “Avengers: Infinity War” ($679 million) and “Black Panther” ($700 million) to become the third-highest grossing movie of all time at the domestic box office with $724 million in ticket sales. It’s still the second-biggest film ever globally with $2.48 billion, pacing behind just “Avatar” with $2.78 billion.

However, “Endgame’s” third straight box office success didn’t come without a little competition. Warner Bros. and Legendary’s “Detective Pikachu” gave Earth’s Mightiest Heroes a run for their money. The studio’s live-action Pokemon adaptation pulled in a solid $58 million when it launched in 4,202 venues.

“I’m giddy,” Warner Bros.’ head of domestic distribution Jeff Goldstein, said on a call Sunday morning. “This is a big weekend for ‘Detective Pikachu.'”

Goldstein has reason for the good cheer. The impressive start for “Detective Pikachu” signals a rare win for video-game to big-screen adaptations. As a whole, it’s a genre that’s filled with few hits. “Super Mario Bros.” and “Doom” are two of the more high-profile misfires, but even recent titles like Alicia Vikander’s “Tomb Raider” remake and Dwayne Johnson’s “Rampage” were not popular among video game enthusiasts.

“It worked because of the lighthearted nature of the film,” Goldstein said. “You don’t need to be a Pokemon fan to see the movie.”v But as competition from summer blockbuster season heats up, “Detective Pikachu” will need to rely on solid word of mouth to remain a draw among moviegoers. The studio is also expecting “Detective Pikachu” to resonate overseas, where the electric yellow creature is a fan favorite. It’s certainly off to a good start, amassing $103 million from 62 international territories for a global weekend of $161 million. It had the biggest bow in China ($40 million), followed by the United Kingdom ($6.6 million).

Audiences seem high on Ryan Reynolds’ snarky take on the eponymous sleuthing Pokemon, awarding the film an A- CinemaScore. Critical reviews were mixed, averaging a 64% on Rotten Tomatoes. Directed by Rob Letterman, “Detective Pikachu” is based on the popular Pokemon series and the 2016 video game of the same name. Justice Smith stars alongside an adorable animated Pikachu (Reynolds) as the two team up to find out why the boy’s dad went missing.