'Death on the Nile' tops a quiet box office weekend

Hollywood's Super Bowl weekend largely fizzled with the muted debut of Kenneth Branagh's long-delayed Agatha Christie whodunit, 'Death on the Nile,' a tepid reception for the Jennifer Lopez romantic-comedy 'Marry Me' and modest box-office bumps for Oscar nominees.

"Death on the Nile," Branagh's follow-up to the 2017 hit "Murder on the Orient Express," led all films with US$12.8 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. Produced under 20th Century Fox before its acquisition by the Walt Disney Co., "Death on the Nile" had been delayed by the pandemic and by scandal that engulfed one of its stars, Armie Hammer.

Last March, Hammer was put under investigation by Los Angeles police in a sexual assault. Hammer has denied the allegation.

After considering other avenues, reportedly including reshooting parts of the film without Hammer, Disney opted to release "Death on the Nile" as it was -- albeit with less fanfare on a weekend the film industry often yields to football. The $90 million film, which also stars Gal Gadot, Emma McKay and Branagh, reprising his role as detective Hercule Poirot, had once seemed a reliable money-maker. "Murder on the Orient Express" launched with $28.7 million in 2017 and ended up grossing $352.8 million worldwide against a $55 million budget. "Death on the Nile" added $20.7 million in international receipts.

Hollywood's biggest pitch to moviegoers over the weekend wasn't in theatres but in television ads. After two years of the pandemic, a heavy-hitting lineup of blockbusters were set to roll out trailers during the Super Bowl broadcast and try to lure still-reluctant moviegoers back to theatres. Last year, when many theatres were still shuttered and few films were being released, Hollywood largely sat out the game. Jordan Peele's "Nope" kicked off the day with its first trailer early Sunday.