Actors Matt Damon and Christian Bale posing for photographs as they arrive for the premiere of the film 'Ford vs. Ferrari' in Toronto on Sept 9. — AP
LOS ANGELES: "Ford v Ferrari" left its box office competitors in the dust as the historical sports drama from Disney and 20th Century Fox sped its way to US$31 million in North America.
Directed by James Mangold and starring Christian Bale and Matt Damon, "Ford v Ferrari" debuted ahead of expectations thanks to strong word-of-mouth from moviegoers.
However, those promising ticket sales weren't enough to offset disappointing starts from fellow high-profile newcomers, "Charlie's Angels" and "The Good Liar," pushing the domestic box office down over 6% from last year, according to Comscore.
Sony's action comedy "Charlie's Angels" sputtered out of the gate with an uninspiring US$8.6 million from 3,452 venues, landing in third place between Lionsgate's war drama "Midway" (US$8.75 million) and Paramount's family film "Playing With Fire" (US$8.5 million). Meanwhile, Warner Bros.' thriller "The Good Liar" narrowly cracked the top 10, finishing in eighth place with US$5.6 million from 2,439 theaters.
"Ford v Ferrari" secured a rare A+ CinemaScore, the highest marks among new nationwide offerings. That kind of praise from ticket buyers indicates the racing drama should have a long life in theaters, a good sign considering the Chernin Entertainment-produced movie carries a US$100 million price tag.
"Ford v Ferrari" enticed a mostly older male crowd: Men accounted for 62% of ticket buyers, while nearly 80% were over the age of 25.
"We knew it was a real crowd pleaser," said Cathleen Taff, Disney's president of global distribution. "With the caliber of talent from director James Mangold and Christian Bale and Matt Damon, it felt like a must-see movie. We're thrilled to see it breaking out."
International moviegoers, as well as potential Oscar buzz, should also help drive the film toward profitability. "Ford v Ferrari" launched overseas this weekend with US$21 million, pushing its global tally to US$52.4 million. If it's able to sustain momentum, "Ford v Ferrari" looks to be a major victory for Fox under its new owners at Disney, as well as the first commercial success since the studios merged earlier this year.
It was undoubtably a busy weekend for the company given the debut of Disney Plus, the studio's newly launched streaming service. But Taff notes that Disney is "still committed to the big screen in every way," adding that the success of "Ford v Ferrari" demonstrates "there's an appetite for great original dramas on the big screen."
"Ford v Ferrari" tells the true story of the automotive team at Ford, led by designer Carroll Shelby (Damon) and his British driver Ken Miles (Bale), as they build a race car attempting to beat the legendary Ferrari in the prestigious Le Mans race.
