BELTING IT OUT

‘Abominable’ Tops Box Office, ‘Judy’ Has Strong Opening Weekend

Zellweger’s stellar performance as Garland has already garnered Oscar buzz.

Abominable, DreamWorks’ animated adventure, topped the box office during its opening weekend, bringing in $20.9 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates on Sunday. The film, about the fabled snowy yeti, has found warm reception from audiences, earning an 80 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes and A on CinemaScore. Abominable is the seventh No. 1 film this year for studio Universal. That tally could tick up to eight if the surprise success of Downton Abbey, released by Universal’s specialty label Focus Features, is also counted. The total gives Universal the most No.1 movies of any studio this year, surpassing Disney’s slate of superhero movies. “It’s not going to be all superheroes all the time. That’s not necessarily going to be everyone’s cup of tea,” said Jim Orr, distribution chief for Universal. “... We’re bringing a lot of different people into the theaters and that’s good for everyone. That’s good for the entire industry.”

Judy, the star-turning biopic of Judy Garland starring Renee Zellweger, also had a strong opening weekend despite a rare medium-sized release from distributer Roadside Attractions. The film took in $3.1 million on 461 screens. Judy follows the end of Garland’s life, when the iconic actress and singer was dealing with drug addiction, as well as health and financial difficulties. Zellweger’s performance as Garland, which was met with a two minute standing ovation during its opening at the Toronto International Film Festival, has garnered best actress Oscar buzz.