LOS ANGELES, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Disney and Pixar's fantasy film "Onward" stayed atop the chart in its second weekend with 10.53 million U.S. dollars as the North American box office has dropped sharply over COVID-19 concerns.
The all-new original film has grossed 60.3 million dollars in North America through Sunday. It also collected 6.8 million dollars from 47 foreign markets this weekend for a global cume of 101.7 million dollars through Sunday, according to studio figures collected by measurement firm Comscore.
"Onward" is directed by Dan Scanlon and produced by Kori Rae -- the team behind 2013's "Monsters University." It's Pixar Animation Studios' 22nd feature film, inspired by Scanlon's personal experiences with his brother and their connection with their dad who passed away when Scanlon was about a year old.
Set in a suburban fantasy world, the story introduces two teenage elf brothers, Ian and Barley, who embark on an extraordinary quest to discover if there is still a little magic left out there that will bring back their deceased father.
The film features the voices of Tom Holland as Ian, Chris Pratt as Barley and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as their mother.
"Onward" holds an approval rating of 87 percent based on 266 reviews to date on review-aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes.
Box office sales in North America are expected to come in only around 55.3 million dollars between Friday and Sunday, according to Comscore's estimates. This is the lowest weekend ticket sales in North America in over 20 years.
Major events have been postponed or canceled across the United States, while popular spots and public spaces are being closed. Some theaters in the country have reportedly been shut down in response to the spread of COVID-19.
U.S. movie theater chains are cutting back on the number of seats to avoid crowding after President Donald Trump declared a national emergency over the coronavirus pandemic on Friday.
"To give you more empty space around you within our theatres, we are capping ticket availability to 50 percent of the normal seating capacity for every showtime in every auditorium at all AMC theatres nationwide," AMC said earlier in a message to moviegoers.
Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company's romantic drama film "I Still Believe" opened in second place with 9.5 million dollars in its first weekend in North America.
Directed by Andrew Erwin and Jon Erwin, the film is based on the true-life story of American Christian music mega star Jeremy Camp and his remarkable journey of love and loss. Camp's song "I Still Believe" is the film's namesake.
Another newcomer, Sony's "Bloodshot," directed by Dave Wilson, came in third with 9.3 million dollars through Sunday.
Vin Diesel stars as Ray Garrison, a soldier recently killed in action and brought back to life as the superhero Bloodshot by the RST corporation that wants to use him as a weapon by swaying over his mind and memories.
Universal and Blumhouse's horror film "The Invisible Man" landed in the fourth place with 6 million dollars in its third weekend for a North American cume of 64.4 million dollars.
The sci-fi horror hit is a contemporary adaptation of the novel of the same name by British writer H. G. Wells and a reboot of The Invisible Man film series. Emmy winner Elisabeth Moss stars in the terrifying modern tale of obsession inspired by Universal's classic monster character. Directed by Leigh Whannell, the film follows a woman who works to prove that she is being hunted by an invisible person after the suicide of her wealthy but abusive scientist boyfriend.
Universal and Blumhouse's thriller film "The Hunt" finished fifth with 5.32 million dollars in its debut weekend. Directed by Craig Zobel, the film follows a group of elites that hunt ordinary Americans for sport.
