Kevin Hart in a scene from “Night School.” (Universal Pictures via AP)
NEW YORK — Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish’s “Night School” opened with $27.3 million in North American ticket sales, making it the first straight-up comedy to debut No. 1 at the box office since Melissa McCarthy’s “The Boss” in April 2016.
In what was expected to be a close race, Universal’s “Night School” easily bested the Warner Bros. animated release “Smallfoot,” according to final box-office figures Monday. “Smallfoot,” which cost about $80 million to make, came in second with $23 million.
In limited release, David Lowery’s heist movie “The Old Man & the Gun” — featuring what Robert Redford has said will be his final performance — opened in four theaters for a strong per-screen average of $30,000. “Free Solo,” National Geographic’s documentary about rock climber Alex Honnold’s ropeless ascent of Yosemite’s El Capitan, grossed an impressive $300,804 in four theaters, good for the best screen-average opening ever for a documentary.
The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by comScore:
1. “Night School,” Universal, $27,257,615, 3,010 locations, $9,056 average, $27,257,615, 1 Week.
2. “Smallfoot,” Warner Bros., $23,045,635, 4,131 locations, $5,579 average, $23,045,635, 1 Week.
3. “The House With a Clock In Its Walls,” Universal, $12,605,120, 3,592 locations, $3,509 average, $44,858,345, 2 Weeks.
4. “A Simple Favor,” Lionsgate, $6,540,666, 3,073 locations, $2,128 average, $43,007,474, 3 Weeks.
5. “The Nun,” Warner Bros., $5,428,875, 3,331 locations, $1,630 average, $109,011,923, 4 Weeks.
6. “Hell Fest,” Lionsgate, $5,130,963, 2,297 locations, $2,234 average, $5,130,963, 1 Week.
7. “Crazy Rich Asians,” Warner Bros., $4,102,788, 2,347 locations, $1,748 average, $165,634,563, 7 Weeks.
8. “The Predator,” 20th Century Fox, $3,860,826, 2,926 locations, $1,319 average, $47,795,077, 3 Weeks.
9. “White Boy Rick,” Sony, $2,402,240, 2,017 locations, $1,191 average, $21,732,021, 3 Weeks.
10. “Peppermint,” STX Entertainment, $1,766,458, 2,002 locations, $882 average, $33,523,366, 4 Weeks.
11. “My Hero Academia: Two Heroes,” FUNimation Films, $1,384,628, 508 locations, $2,726 average, $1,384,628, 1 Week.
12. “Fahrenheit 11/9,” Briarcliff Entertainment, $1,111,134, 1,719 locations, $646 average, $5,180,427, 2 Weeks.
13. “The Meg,” Warner Bros., $1,032,182, 1,243 locations, $830 average, $141,980,287, 8 Weeks.
14. “Searching,” Sony, $955,577, 1,014 locations, $942 average, $24,839,159, 6 Weeks.
15. “The Wife,” Sony Pictures Classics, $714,351, 437 locations, $1,635 average, $6,041,025, 7 Weeks.
16. “Little Women,” Pinnacle Peak, $705,063, 643 locations, $1,097 average, $705,063, 1 Week.
17. “Life Itself,” Amazon Studios, $658,799, 2,355 locations, $280 average, $3,641,320, 2 Weeks.
18. “Mission: Impossible – Fallout,” Paramount, $621,619, 538 locations, $1,155 average, $219,190,552, 10 Weeks.
19. “Sui Dhaaga: Made In India,” Yash Raj Films, $582,006, 193 locations, $3,016 average, $582,006, 1 Week.
20. “Unbroken: Path To Redemption,” Pure Flix, $487,470, 741 locations, $658 average, $5,595,589, 3 Weeks.