Will Smith’s Focus tops North American box office with $19 million

Will Smith’s movie Focus has debuted at No 1 on the North American box office chart, knocking Fifty Shades of Grey off the top spot.

However, it was a relatively modest opening for Will Smith, with Focus earning an estimated $19.1 million between February 28 and March 1.

Fifty Shades of Grey fell to fourth with $10.9 million after spending two weeks at number one.

In second place was Colin Firth’s spy thriller Kingsman: The Secret Service.

Kingsman: The Secret Service took $11.8 million over the weekend, just ahead of The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, which made $11.2 million in its fourth week of release.

The second highest new entry, horror film The Lazarus Effect, rounded out the top five, taking $10.6 million.

Focus gives Will Smith his first major role since 2013’s After Earth, the Sci-Fi flop that also starred his teenage son Jaden, and went on to win three Razzie awards.

The movie is about a conman who introduces his young lover to the tricks of the trade before breaking off their relationship. Three years later, they meet again in Argentina, where they are both trying to scam the same billionaire.

Some commentators have concluded that Will Smith’s box office pulling power is on the wane given the relatively low takings for a No 1 movie.

However, Warner Bros said Focus, which was made for about $50 million, was only predicted to take about $21 million in its opening weekend.

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