Box office: ‘Miss Bala’ opens at No. 3 on a slow Super Bowl weekend

Compounded by the historically slow Super Bowl weekend, the box office continued its sluggish start on the year and now trails 2018 by 15.4%, according to figures from measurement firm Comscore. The sole newcomer, Sony’s “Miss Bala,” premiered at No. 3 with $6.7 million, within range of modest analyst predictions of $6 million to $9 million.

The $15-million action thriller stars “Jane the Virgin” actress Gina Rodriguez as an unwitting participant in a cross-border drug conflict who is used as a pawn by both the Drug Enforcement Administration and a Mexican drug cartel. Based on the 2011 Mexican crime drama of the same name, the film earned a 27% “rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Universal’s “Glass” maintained its hold at the top of the chart for the third consecutive weekend, adding $9.5 million for a cumulative $88.6 million.

Combined, the top 12 films grossed just $55.4 million, the worst result since the first weekend of September 2017 and the worst Super Bowl box office since 2000 when “Eye of the Beholder” topped the charts.

STX Entertainment’s “The Upside” held on to second place, adding $8.8 million in its fourth weekend. One of the few bright spots in 2019, it’s grossed $75.6 million in North America.

At No. 4, Warner Bros.’ “Aquaman” added $4.8 million in its seventh weekend in theaters for a cumulative $323.5 million.

Rounding out the top five, Sony’s “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” added $4.4 million in its eighth weekend for a cumulative $175.3 million.

Universal’s “Green Book,” now in its 12th weekend of release, landed at No. 6, the sole Oscar contender to remain among the top 10. The film brought in an additional $4.3 million this weekend for a cumulative $55.8 million.

Among the other best picture contenders, Fox’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” earned an additional $1.8 million for a cumulative $208.5 million, Fox Searchlight’s “The Favourite” added $1.5 million for a domestic total of $28.6 million, Annapurna’s “Vice” added $1.2 million for a cumulative $44 million and Warner Bros.’ “A Star Is Born” added $922,000 for a cumulative $207.8 million.

After two nights of Fathom Events screenings in December and one in January, Warner Bros.’ “They Shall Not Grow Old” landed at No. 10 and earned $2.4 million for a cumulative $10.7 million. The World War I documentary was directed by Peter Jackson and earned a 98% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

This week, Paramount premieres the Taraji P. Henson comedy “What Men Want,” Orion Pictures reveals the horror “The Prodigy,” Warner Bros. opens “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” and Lionsgate drops the action drama “Cold Pursuit.”

sonaiya.kelley@latimes.com

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