Puerto Rican director Angel Manuel Soto's feature film, in which a student's body is taken hostage by a mysterious beetle giving him powerful powers, grossed $25.4 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters this weekend.
The lead role is played by 22-year-old American actor Xolo Mariduena. According to analyst David Gross, however, the admissions sold for this launch are only a third of those typically recorded for a superhero movie.
Relegated to second place on the podium, "Barbie" still collected $ 21.5 million again for its fifth week on the screen.
Preceded by an intense marketing campaign, the film features the iconic Mattel doll, played by Margot Robbie, venturing alongside her awkward boyfriend Ken (Ryan Gosling) into the real world.
In third place, Christopher Nolan's portrait of the designer of the atomic bomb, "Oppenheimer", made $10.6 million in revenue.
Falling fourth, the Ninja Turtles, who are getting a facelift with "Ninja Turtles: Teenage Years," have raised more than $8.4 million.
Just behind, with $ 8.3 million, the comedy "Backstreet Dogs", featuring abandoned dogs on a mission to take revenge on a former owner, comes only in fifth place for its first week in theaters.
Here are the rest of the top 10:
6 - "In Very Troubled Waters" ($6.7 million)
7 - "The Hand" (3.2 million)
8 - "The Haunted Mansion" (3 million)
9 - "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1" (2.7 million)
10 - The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2.5 million)
© 2023 AFP