Magician Heist Flick Outperforms Action Blockbuster at Box Office

This past weekend, the third film in the "Now You See Me" series, "Now You See Me: Now You Don't," has emerged victorious at the North American box office, outperforming the highly anticipated action thriller "The Running Man."

The magician heist movie, which cost a reported $90 million to produce, pulled in $21.3 million in ticket sales, while Paramount's "The Running Man" made $17 million. This comes as a surprise, as the two new releases were expected to have a closer race.

The "Now You See Me" franchise has proven to be a consistent box office draw, with the first two films earning over $686 million worldwide. This latest installment, directed by Ruben Fleischer, sees the return of the original "Four Horsemen" cast, including Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, and Dave Franco, as well as the introduction of three younger magicians.

Reviews for "Now You See Me: Now You Don't" have been mixed, with a 59% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, audience scores were more positive, with 63% saying they would definitely recommend the film. In contrast, "The Running Man" had a slightly lower 58% "definitely recommend" score from audiences.

One key difference that may have contributed to the "Now You See Me" film's success is its broader appeal to female moviegoers, who made up 54% of the audience, compared to only 37% for "The Running Man."