Midway Surprises Doctor Sleep

The World War II film Midway has scored a surprise victory at the box office this weekend over Doctor Sleep, the sequel to The Shining. Lionsgate on Sunday said the war epic from director Roland Emmerich earned an estimated $17.5 million in North American theaters to take the top spot on the charts, the AP reports.

Going into the weekend, analysts expected the No. 1 spot would go to Warner Bros.' Doctor Sleep, the high-profile Stephen King adaptation starring Ewan McGregor. But audiences slept on the well-reviewed film, and it grossed only $14.1 million from over 3,800 locations. Doctor Sleep was expected to open over to $25 million. The John Cena-led Playing With Fire opened in third place with $12.8 million, while the romantic comedy Last Christmas starring Emilia Clarke took fourth with $11.6 million.

(More box office stories.)