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<\/a><\/p>\nDenzel Washington scored one of the biggest openings of his career this week, with a film that proved remakes of classic movies don\u2019t have to be flops.<\/p>\n
The Magnificent Seven<\/b><\/i> \u2014 based on the 1960 Western of the same name, which in turn was a remake of the 1954 Akira Kurosawa film Seven Samurai<\/i> \u2014 earned an estimated $35 million between Thursday and Sunday nights<\/a>.<\/p>\n That\u2019s a career best for director Antoine Fuqua<\/a>, beating the $34.1 million that The Equalizer<\/i> opened to in 2014, and it ranks third among Denzel Washington openings<\/a>, behind only 2007\u2019s American Gangster<\/i> and 2012\u2019s Safe House<\/i>.<\/p>\n It also marks the best opening ever for a regular Western<\/a> (the film\u2019s opening ranks third among Westerns overall, behind the animated Rango<\/i> and the sci-fi Cowboys & Aliens<\/i>), and it practically ties Sully<\/i> for the fifth-best opening in September<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Magnificent Seven<\/i>\u2019s success presumably comes as a relief to MGM, which had a huge flop last month with its remake of Ben-Hur<\/i>. MGM co-produced the new Ben-Hur<\/i> with Paramount and The Magnificent Seven<\/i> with Sony.<\/p>\n The week\u2019s other major wide release was Storks<\/b><\/i>, an animated film that earned $21.8 million \u2014 one of the better openings for director Nicholas Stoller<\/a>, who previously made live-action comedies like Forgetting Sarah Marshall<\/i> and the Neighbors<\/i> films, but a middling opening for an animated film released by a major studio.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, in other box-office news\u2026<\/p>\n Sully<\/b><\/i> earned $13.8 million and ranked third in its third week, thereby raising its domestic cume to $92.4 million. The film has earned another $34.5 million overseas for a global total of $126.9 million.<\/p>\n Bridget Jones\u2019s Baby<\/b><\/i> earned $4.5 million and ranked fourth in its second week, thereby raising its domestic cume to $16.5 million. The film has earned another $67.1 million overseas for a global total of $83.6 million.<\/p>\n Snowden<\/b><\/i> earned $4.1 million and ranked fifth in its second week, thereby raising its domestic cume to $15.1 million. The film has earned another $1.1 million overseas for a global total of $16.2 million.<\/p>\n Blair Witch<\/b><\/i> earned $3.9 million and ranked sixth in its second week, thereby raising its domestic cume to $16.1 million. The film has earned another $4.9 million overseas for a global total of $21.1 million.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t Breathe<\/b><\/i> earned $3.8 million and ranked seventh in its fifth week, thereby raising its domestic cume to $81.1 million. The film has earned another $39.2 million overseas for a global total of $120.3 million.<\/p>\n Suicide Squad<\/b><\/i> earned $3.1 million and ranked eighth in its eighth week, thereby raising its domestic cume to $318.1 million. The film has earned another $413.6 million overseas for a global total of $731.7 million.<\/p>\n When the Bough Breaks<\/b><\/i> earned $2.5 million and ranked ninth in its third week, thereby raising its domestic cume to $26.6 million. The film has earned another $216,674 overseas for a global total of $26.8 million.<\/p>\n And Kubo and the Two Strings<\/b><\/i> earned $1.1 million and ranked tenth in its sixth week, thereby raising its domestic cume to $45.9 million. The film has earned another $12.6 million overseas for a global total of $58.6 million.<\/p>\n