Box office: Alien Covenant beats Guardians

Alien: Covenant claws its way to first place at the weekend box office, unseating reigning champ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 after two weeks at the top.

The Prometheus sequel claimed this weekend’s top spot with an estimated $36 million haul from the domestic box office after opening in 3,761 locations. However, despite receiving mostly positive reviews that touted the Alien franchise’s return to form and boasting an impressive cast (Billy Crudup, Katherine Waterston, Danny McBride, and Michael Fassbender star), the Ridley Scott-directed feature got a lukewarm reception from audiences (a B on CinemaScore) and earned less than expected: Covenant made an estimated $15 million less than Prometheus, which brought in $51 million its first weekend out.

In second place this week is Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which earned an estimated $35.1 million, narrowly missing the No. 1 spot. In any case, the superhero sequel is doing quite well for itself having crossed the $300 million mark domestically, with only a 46 percent drop between its second and third weeks in theaters; recent Marvel sequels Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Age of Ultron both saw drops of 54.7 percent and 50 percent in their third weeks. However, in terms of total earnings, GoTGV2 falls in between both those films’ week 3 totals, with Civil War and Age of Ultron having pulled in $32.9 million and $38.9 million respectively.

Nevertheless, the film’s popularity (it earned an A on CinemaScore) continues internationally, with the film already crossing the $430 million mark. This weekend brings the movie’s estimated worldwide total to $733 million.

Coming in third is the Warner Bros. adaptation of Nicola Yoon’s bestselling novel Everything, Everything, which brought in an estimated $12 million. The movie, which stars Amandla Stenberg and Nick Robinson, is already proving to be a crowd pleaser, earning an A- on CinemaScore. Directed by Stella Meghie (Jean of the Joneses), the film tells the story of Maddy Whittier, a girl who’s allergic to everything and falls in love with the boy who moves in next door to her sheltered, allergy-proof house.

Snatched, Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn’s mother-daughter comedy, lands in fourth place this week with estimated earnings of $7.6 million in its second week out. The R-rated comedy received a Mother’s Day bump last weekend, increasing its box office haul by $2 million, but this weekend sees the film’s earnings drop by 61.1 percent, bringing it to an estimated domestic total of $32.8 million — almost as much as Schumer’s previous movie, Trainwreck, earned in its first weekend out. Despite comedies doing well at the summer box office, Snatched may not have much staying power, seeing as how audiences gave the film a B on CinemaScore, a lower grade than Trainwreck (A- on CinemaScore) earned.

In fifth place is Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, the fourth film in the franchise based on Jeff Kinney’s bestselling book series, which premieres five years after the third. The movie earned an estimated $7.2 million in its opening weekend, well below the first weekend earnings of previous films in the series: Diary of a Wimpy Kid ($22.1 million), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules ($23.6 million), and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days ($14.6 million). The film also received a more tepid response (a B on CinemasScore) than previous films, which have mostly gone over well with families, having earned a consistent A- on CinemaScore for the first three movies.

Elsewhere, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword sees its second-week box office haul drop by 55.4 percent for an estimated earning of $6.85 million. This brings the film’s total domestic earnings to $27 million after two weeks. The Guy Ritchie-directed feature performed better internationally, where it’s earned an estimated $66.2 million so far.

The rest of the top 10 this week is filled with previous top performers, including Fate of the Furious, The Boss Baby, Beauty and the Beast, and How to Be a Latin Lover. While F8‘s sixth week at the box office sees it become the 12th highest grossing film of all time after earning an estimated worldwide total of $1.213 billion, Disney’s live-action remake is close to crossing the $500 million mark domestically. The film has already earned an estimated $1,221.8 million worldwide.

Outside the top 10, Wakefield earned an estimated $14,210 from only one location. The film stars Bryan Cranston as a man who disappears — but is just hiding in the attic above the garage, studying his wife (Jennifer Garner), kids, and neighbors as they go about their lives.

Per ComScore, overall box office is up 2.5 percent in the same frame from last year. Check out the May 19-21 box office figures below.

1 – Alien: Covenant – $36 million
2 – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – $35.1 million
3 – Everything, Everything – $12 million
4 – Snatched – $7.6 million
5 – Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul – $7.2 million
6 – King Arthur: Legend of the Sword – $6.85 million
7 – The Fate of the Furious – $3.17 million
8 – The Boss Baby – $2.8 million
9 – Beauty and the Beast – $2.4 million
10 – How to Be a Latin Lover – $2.2 million