Scarlett Johansson's Ghost In The Shell Opens To Weak Box Office

04/01/2017 04:37 pm EDT

Paramount Pictures' Ghost in the Shell opened in theaters this week, but there wasn't much of an audience waiting for it.

Ghost in the Shell opened to just $7.7 million across 3,440 location on Friday and is now tracking for a meager $20 million opening weekend. That's a bad sign for the big budget adaptation of Shirow Masamune's cyberpunk manga and anime, which cost the studio $110 million to make. The film has drawn criticism for casting Scarlett Johansson in the lead role as the Major, who is referred to in the anime as manga as Major Motoko Kusanagi, a native of Japan where the film takes place. Now Paramount, DreamWorks Pictures, and Reliance Entertainment will have to hope for stellar international numbers to offset the weak domestic showing.

DreamWorks is having better luck with its animated opener, Boss Baby. Released in conjunction with 20th Century Fox, Boss Baby claimed the top spot this weekend with $15.5 million and is projected to earn between $45 and $50 million in its first three days.

That means that Disney's Beauty and the Beast has finally been dislodged from the top spot. The adaptation fo the animated classic earned $13 million on Friday.

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Based on the internationally-acclaimed sci-fi property, "GHOST IN THE SHELL" follows the Major, a special ops, one-of-a-kind human-cyborg hybrid, who leads the elite task force Section 9. Devoted to stopping the most dangerous criminals and extremists, Section 9 is faced with an enemy whose singular goal is to wipe out Hanka Robotic's advancements in cyber technology.

Ghost in the Shell is directed by Rupert Sanders and written by Jamie Moss, William Wheeler and Ehren Kruger, based on the manga by Masamune Shirow. Ghost in the Shell stars Scarlett Johansson, Takeshi Kitano, Michael Pitt, Pilou Asbæk, Chin Han and Juliette Binoche.

In Beauty and the Beast, Belle (Emma Watson), a bright, beautiful and independent young woman, is taken prisoner by a beast (Dan Stevens) in its castle. Despite her fears, she befriends the castle's enchanted staff and learns to look beyond the beast's hideous exterior, allowing her to recognize the kind heart and soul of the true prince that hides on the inside.

Beauty and the Beast is directed by Bill Condon from a screenplay by Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos. The film stars Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Kevin Kline, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Audra McDonald, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Ian McKellen and Emma Thompson.

Have you seen Ghost in the Shell? Let us know what you thought by giving it a rating below!

More Ghost in the Shell:

• How Hollywood Can Do Anime Right
• Ghost In The Shell Beats Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 In Social Media Buzz
• Scarlett Johansson Responds To Film's Controversy

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