LOS ANGELES _ "Ocean's 8," Warner Bros.' highly anticipated, female-led reboot of the successful "Ocean's" heist franchise, debuted in first place over the weekend with $41.5 million, above analysts' predictions of $35 million, according to figures from measurement firm ComScore. It was the best-ever opening for any of the films in the franchise, handily beating the previous leader, 2004's "Ocean's Twelve," which posted $39.1 million in its opening weekend before going on to gross $125.5 million in the U.S. and Canada.
"We're proud of the movie," said Jeff Goldstein, the studio's distribution chief. "These actors did a tremendous job telling a fun story, going after a very specific demographic, females, an audience that is often underserved."
The latest entry cost an estimated $70 million and stars Sandra Bullock as the sister of Danny Ocean. She assembles a skilled crime crew (Sarah Paulson, Cate Blanchett, Mindy Kaling, Helena Bonham Carter, Awkwafina and Rihanna) to pull off a high-stakes theft at New York's annual Met Gala involving an actress played by Anne Hathaway.
It earned a B-plus on CinemaScore and a 67 percent "fresh" rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.
In second place, Disney's "Solo: A Star Wars Story," now in its third week, added $15.1 million in ticket sales.
Fox's "Deadpool 2" came in at No. 3, adding $13.6 million in its fourth weekend.
A24's psychological horror "Hereditary" debuted in fourth place with $13 million (well above analysts' predictions of $5 million to $9 million), the biggest debut ever for the studio as well as its widest release to date.
Rounding out the top five, Disney's "Avengers: Infinity War," now in its seventh weekend, added $6.8 million.
Global Road Entertainment's "Hotel Artemis" debuted at No. 8 with $3.1 million, below predictions of $5 million to $9 million.
The action-thriller stars Jodie Foster as a nurse who runs a secret hospital for criminals. The film bombed both financially and critically, with a C-minus on CinemaScore and a 58 percent "rotten" score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Focus Features' Mister Rogers doc "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" opened in 29 locations with $470,000. The PG-13 film currently boasts a 99 percent "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Magnolia Pictures' Ruth Bader Ginsburg doc, "RBG," continues to perform well, adding $700,000 in its sixth weekend.
