LOS ANGELES – It wasn't quite enough to take down Pennywise the clown, but Jennifer Lopez and the scheming strippers of "Hustlers" topped even the high expectations they brought to the weekend box office.
"It: Chapter Two" brought in $40.7 million to keep the top spot in its second week and has earned a total of $153.8 million, according to studio estimates. The original, the biggest September release ever, earned more than $200 million at the same point two years ago.
"Hustlers," riding stellar reviews, film-festival buzz and Oscar talk for Lopez, earned $33.2 million, a record for a film from STX Entertainment, which was launched less than five years ago. The film, budgeted at just $20 million, became the rare recent hit that was neither a sequel, a reboot nor part of a series.
"Angel Has Fallen," starring Gerard Butler, was a distant third with $4.4 million and has brought in $60.4 million in its four weeks of release.
The week's other new release, "The Goldfinch," landed with a thud, bringing in just $2.6 million. The adaptation of Donna Tartt's acclaimed 2013 novel got reviews as dreary as those of "Hustlers" were strong.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters:
1. "It: Chapter Two," $40.7 million.
2. "Hustlers," $33.2 million.
