‘Now You See Me 3’ races past ‘The Running Man’ at box office

This image released by Lionsgate shows, from left, Justice Smith, Ariana Greenblatt, Dominic Sessa, Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher and Dave Franco in a scene from "Now You See Me: Now You Don't."

It’s no magic trick: The third installment in the thieving magician “Now You See Me” series beat the high-profile action pic “The Running Man” at the North American box office this weekend. Lionsgate’s “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t” pulled in $21.3 million, while Paramount’s “The Running Man” made $17 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

“Now You See Me: Now You Don’t,” which cost a reported $90 million to produce, comes almost 10 years after the second film. Including ticket sales from 64 international territories, its worldwide opening is estimated to be around $75.5 million. Going into the weekend, it was expected to be a closer race between the two newcomers.

“Honestly, I didn’t see us being number one for the weekend about 10 days ago,” Kevin Grayson, the president of worldwide distribution for Lionsgate’s motion picture group, said Sunday. “But as we started to get closer and ticket sale numbers started to pop, we saw that there was going to be a horse race. Then we pulled away Saturday morning.”

Grayson said it’s a testament not only to the franchise but the marketing and publicity strategies which, “really helped us get into a position where we now can play all the way through the holiday corridor.”

The first two movies in the “Now You See Me” series, released in 2013 and 2016, earned over $686 million worldwide. This installment, directed by Ruben Fleischer, sees the return of the original “Four Horsemen,” Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher and Dave Franco, and introduces three younger magicians into the mix: Dominic Sessa, Ariana Greenblatt and Justice Smith. A fourth film is already in the works.

Reviews were mixed on Rotten Tomatoes, coming in at 59%. According to PostTrak polling, audiences were a bit more positive, with 63% saying they would definitely recommend.

Audience scores were slightly less for “The Running Man,” which had a 58. They only accounted for 37% of “The Running Man” ticket buyers.

Edgar Wright directed and co-wrote “The Running Man,” the second adaptation of Stephen King’s novel, first published in 1982. The first film starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and was released in 1987 to mixed reviews and a tepid box office, earning only $38 million against a $27 million budget. The new version stars Glen Powell, who has had a good track record starring in box office hits, from the romantic comedy “Anyone But You” to “Twisters.”

Paramount Pictures released “The Running Man” in 3,400 domestic locations and 58 international markets. Worldwide, it earned $28.2 million against a reported $110 million budget.

The weekend’s other new opener, “Keeper,” the third feature from “Longlegs” filmmaker Oz Perkins, cratered with $2.5 million and a D+ CinemaScore. But as an acquisition title for Neon, it’s also not a disaster.

Third place went to “Predator: Badlands” with $13 million in its second weekend, followed by “Regretting You” in fourth with $4 million. “Black Phone 2” rounded out the top five with $2.7 million, bringing its domestic total to $74.7 million after five weeks in theaters.

In anticipation of the big budget musical “Wicked: For Good,” which opens next week, Universal Pictures put “Wicked” back in 2,195 theaters, where it made $1.2 million -- barely missing a spot in the top 10.

The box office should pick up considerably when “Wicked 2” blows into theaters, followed by “Zootopia 2” before the Thanksgiving holiday. Comscore’s Paul Dergarabedian said it could be one of the highest grossing five-day Thanksgiving frames of all time.

“After a terrible October, the lowest grossing in decades, it’s just warming up,” Dergarabedian said. “It’s never too late to get the momentum moving in the right direction.”

Top 10 movies by domestic box office

With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:

1. “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t,” $21.3 million.

2. “The Running Man,” $17 million.

3. “Predator: Badlands,” $13 million.

4. “Regretting You,” $4 million.

5. “Black Phone 2,” $2.7 million.

6. “Nuremberg,” $2.6 million.

7. “Keeper,” $2.5 million.

8. “Sarah’s Oil,” $2.3 million.

9. “Bugonia” and “Chainsaw Man -- The Movie: Reze Arc”," (tie) $1.6 million.

Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press