The women of 'Ocean's 8' steal a big lead at the box office

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The women of "Ocean's 8" proved this weekend that they know how to steal the show – and much more – as the new heist flick took in an estimated 41.6 million US dollars in North American theaters.

With an all-star cast led by ever-popular Sandra Bullock and supported by Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Mindy Kaling and Rihanna, the Warner Bros. film was Hollywood's latest experiment, after "Ghostbusters," in replacing an all-male cast with female stars.

The result: one of the top 10 openings of the year so far, according to box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations, and a better debut than the three earlier "Ocean's" editions made by Stephen Soderbergh and starring a male principal cast.

The latest chapter stars Bullock as Debbie Ocean, sister of Danny Ocean, played by George Clooney in the Soderbergh films, as she assembles a gang of talented women to plan a seemingly impossible diamond heist from a glamorous gala in New York.

Emilia Clarke attends the premiere of Disney Pictures and Lucasfilm's "Solo: A Star Wars Story" at the El Capitan Theatre on May 10, 2018, in Hollywood, California. /VCG Photo

In second place was last weekend's leader, "Solo: A Star Wars Story," starring Alden Ehrenreich as a young version of the swashbuckling space pilot. The Disney film took in 15.7 million dollars, roughly half its previous weekend's total.

The third spot went to "Deadpool 2" from 20th Century Fox, at 14.1 million dollars. This latest in Fox's X-men series stars Ryan Reynolds in the title role. Its worldwide ticket sales have surpassed 650 million dollars.

Shioli Kutsuna and Ryan Reynolds attend the "Deadpool 2" premiere in Roppongi Hills on May 29, 2018, in Tokyo, Japan. /VCG Photo

In fourth was a new film, "Hereditary," at 13.6 million dollars, the best opening ever for A24, the indie production house behind "Moonlight," "Lady Bird" and "The Disaster Artist."

A horror film, about a family, haunted after its matriarch dies, stars Toni Collette and Gabriel Byrne. Its decent opening came in spite of an R-rating and a D+ audience rating from CinemaScore.

In fifth was "Avengers: Infinity War," from Disney-owned Marvel, at 7.2 million dollars.

(L-R) Pom Klementieff, Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Tom Holland attend the red carpet event of "Avengers: Infinity War, 2018" at COEX on April 12th in Seoul, South Korea. /VCG Photo

With a cast including Robert Downey Jr., Benedict Cumberbatch and Scarlett Johansson, the superstar-rich extravaganza is now a mere 500,000 dollars away from becoming the fourth movie in history to cross the 2 billion dollars mark worldwide.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

"Adrift" (5.3 million dollars)

"Book Club" (4.3 million dollars)

"Hotel Artemis" (3.2 million dollars)

"Upgrade" (2.4 million dollars)

"Life of the Party" (2.2 million dollars)

(Cover photo: (L-R) Awkwafina, Sandra Bullock, Sarah Paulson, Cate Blanchett, Mindy Kaling, Anne Hathaway attend the "Ocean's 8" news conference at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 22, 2018, in New York City, New York, US. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): AFP