Insurgent tops US box office on its opening weekend

Insurgent has topped the US box office, earning $54 million in its opening weekend.

The fantasy sequel starring Shailene Woodley and Theo James, it took slightly less than the first installment, Divergent, which opened in 2014 to $54.6 million.

Lionsgate said it was “pleased” with the result, and noted there was little competition for the film’s teen audience over Easter.

Sean Penn’s action movie The Gunman fired a blank with US audiences.

Sean Penn could only muster $5 million for the tough tale of Congo mercenaries, which he co-wrote and co-produced.

It had been hoped the movie would capitalize on the audience for the “geriaction” genre – popularized by Liam Neeson’s Taken series, with which The Gunman shares a director, Pierre Morel.

The Gunman managed a number four chart position, beaten by Insurgent, Cinderella and Liam Neeson’s own action thriller Run All Night.

Cinderella, which had been last week’s chart topper, had a strong second week, taking a further $34.5 million, bringing its total earnings to $122 million.

Rounding out the top five was Kingsman: The Secret Service, starring Colin Firth, which dropped a couple of places but still made $4.6 million.

The seventh film in the street racing franchise, The Fast and the Furious, is due out on April 3. The movie has been dedicated to the memory of Paul Walker, who died in a car accident while the film was in production.

Paul Walker’s scenes were completed using a mixture of CGI and body doubles – some of whom included Walker’s own brothers.

North American Box Office Top 10:

1. Insurgent – $54 million
2. Cinderella – $34.5 million
3. Run All Night – $5.12 million
4. The Gunman – $5.01 million
5. Kingsman: The Secret Service – $4.6 million
6. Do You Believe? – $4 million
7. The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel -$3.45 million
8. Focus – $3.3 million
9. Chappie – $2.65 million
10. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water – $2.35 million IR-l_TSjlEo