“Boss Baby” is eyeing the C-suite. The Fox-DreamWorks animated movie bottled up $15.5 million from 3,773 locations on Friday. Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” which has ruled the box office with record-breaking grosses since it hit theaters in mid-March, earned just over $13 million on Friday from 4,210 theaters. “Boss Baby’s” projected opening weekend total now stands above previous expectations at over $50 million. “Beauty” will also continue its fantastical run, and should land in the $45 to $50 million range.
Paramount’s “Ghost in the Shell,” meanwhile, is showing a comparatively meager draw. The action film starring Scarlett Johansson earned $7.7 million from 3,440 theaters on Friday and is tracking for about $20 million in its opening weekend. “Ghost in the Shell” — produced in conjunction with DreamWorks Pictures and Reliance Entertainment — is counting on international ticket sales to offset production costs, which have been reported at around $110 million.
“The Boss Baby” — based loosely based on the 2010 picture book of the same name written and illustrated by Marla Frazee — features a voice cast that includes Alec Baldwin, Miles Christopher Bakshi, Steve Buscemi, Jimmy Kimmel, Lisa Kudrow and Tobey Maguire. Tom McGrath directed the film about a secret agent baby who engages in a war between babies and puppies.
