Wife vs husband: Box office showdown with the Reynolds-Lively family

New York: In the latest box office showdown between Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, both stars emerged victorious. Reynolds' hit film, “Deadpool & Wolverine,” remained the top film in North America for the third consecutive week, earning $54.2 million over the weekend and surpassing $1 billion globally. The film, which features Hugh Jackman and is directed by Shawn Levy, has become one of the most successful Marvel releases of the year.

Close behind was Lively's new film, “It Ends With Us,” a romantic drama that exceeded expectations with a strong $50 million debut. This adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel features Lively as Lily Bloom, a florist caught between two loves. The film, which Lively also produced, was made on a budget of $25 million and has received positive reviews from audiences.

The weekend also saw a notable flop: “Borderlands,” a long-delayed video game adaptation directed by Eli Roth, failed to attract audiences, grossing just $8.8 million. Despite featuring stars like Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, and Jack Black, the film received poor reviews and struggled at the box office.

Meanwhile, Reynolds and Lively made the most of their film releases. Reynolds even promoted Lively’s film by interviewing her co-star in a video shared online. “It Ends With Us” could continue to perform well through the slower August box office period, similar to other successful summer book adaptations.

In other releases, “Cuckoo,” a German horror film set in the Alps, earned $3 million from 1,503 screens. Directed by Tilman Singer, it stars Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens.

These box office figures are estimates for Friday through Sunday in U.S. and Canadian theatres, with final numbers to be released soon.

1. “Deadpool & Wolverine,” $54.2 million

2. “It Ends With Us,” $50 million

3. “Twisters,” $15 million

4. “Borderlands,” $8.8 million

5. “Despicable Me 4,” $8 million

6. “Trap,” $6.7 million

7. “Inside Out 2,” $5 million

8. “Harold and the Purple Crayon,” $3.1 million

9. “Cuckoo,” $3 million

10. “Longlegs,” $2 million