Smile remains atop the box office, while Amsterdam is no match for Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile
It seems David O. Russell's latest star-studded period drama was no match for pop star Shawn Mendes' turn as a singing crocodile at the box office.
Amsterdam — which follows a group of friends (Christian Bale, John David Washington, Margot Robbie) who witness a murder in 1930s Manhattan and become suspects themselves — opened with an underwhelming $6.5 million at the domestic box office, per Comscore. At No. 3, it was outpaced by Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile in second place, which debuted with $11.5 million.
Set in a different kind of New York (one that features a singing crocodile that loves great music, baths, and caviar), Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile follows a young boy (Winslow Fegley) who becomes fast friends with the reptile (voiced by Mendes). The film also stars Constance Wu, Javier Bardem, Scoot McNairy, and Brett Gelman.
Merie Weismiller Wallace, SMPSP/20th Century Studios Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington in 'Amsterdam'
While the latter has so far been hailed as warm and whimsical, Amsterdam — which also features the talents of Taylor Swift, Robert De Niro, Chris Rock, Anya Taylor-Joy, Rami Malek, and Zoe Saldana, among others — has been largely panned by critics and currently has a 61% Rotten Tomatoes audience score. EW's Leah Greenblatt called it a "muddled comedy" in her C+ review.
"The resolution of the central mystery is both rushed and obtuse, and it all unfolds in a frenetic, flailing whirl of pomp and nonsense that Amsterdam's strange circuitous journey and almost embarrassing surplus of stars never quite justifies: a whirring music-box curiosity in search of some elusive purpose, and a point," she writes.
Elsewhere, Smile retained the No. 1 for a second week in a row, earning an additional $17.6 million after last weekend's $22 million debut. The horror film also dethroned last week's top title, China's Home Coming, at the global box office, with a total of $49.9 million. The Woman King and Don't Worry Darling rounded out the top five in fourth and fifth place, respectively. Gina Prince-Bythewood's historical epic earned an additional $5.3 million, while Olivia Wilde's psychological thriller brought in an extra $3.4 million.
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