Cinemas have best ever March haul

LOS ANGELES (AP)

Despite some flops the March 2017 box office, which crossed US$1 billion last weekend, has become the biggest March of all time. Not all reboots are created equal.

It was a weekend of remakes, Disney's live-action Beauty and the Beast continued enchanting audiences in its second weekend in cinemas, easily topping the charts with US$88.3 million, according to studio estimates on Sunday.

On the low end, Warner Bros.' raunchy, R-rated CHIPS debuted in seventh place with US$7.6 million.

In the middle was Lionsgate's Power Rangers, which earned a solid US$40.5 million to grab the number two spot. The PG-13 take on the campy 1990s television show tells the origin story of the Power Rangers with a diverse teenage cast of relative newcomers.

Also this weekend, the sci-fi thriller Life failed to connect with audiences, debuting in fourth place with US$12.6 million behind holdover Kong: Skull Island with US$14.4 million.

The R-rated space film stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds as astronauts who discover that the alien life form they have brought on board might be dangerous.

With a $58-million price tag, Sony and Skydance's Life has a long journey to profitability.

Following are estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at US and Canadian cinemas, according to comScore.

1. Beauty and the Beast, US$88.3m (US$119.2m international)

2. Power Rangers, US$40m (US$18.7m international)

3. Kong: Skull Island, US$14.4 (US$93m international)

4. Life, US$12.6m (US$16.1m international)

5. Logan, US$10.1m (US$12.1m international)

6. Get Out, US$8.7m (US$2.2m international)

7. CHIPS, US$7.6m (US$1.9m international)

8. The Shack, US$3.8m

9. The Lego Batman Movie, US$2m (US$1.2m international)

10. The Belko Experiment, US$1.8m