Disney’s ‘Dumbo’ fails to impress at N. American box office

Disney’s new live-action film “Dumbo” failed to soar at the box office as expected on its opening weekend in North America, taking in $46 million, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations found Monday.

Analysts had expected Tim Burton’s live-action remake of the 1941 classic about a small elephant with huge, magical ears to pick up at least $50 million in its opening three-day weekend. The film had a $170 million production budget.

With a cast including Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Eva Green and Danny DeVito, “Dumbo” may yet catch on overseas, where it has taken in $71 million. The last Burton/Disney live-action collaboration, “Alice in Wonderland,” earned $1.02 billion worldwide.

“Dumbo” pushed last weekend’s box office leader, “Us,” down to second place, but the Universal horror film still brought in a respectable $33.2 million.

Written and directed by Jordan Peele, “Us” stars Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke as a couple frighteningly confronted by their doppelgangers.

In third spot was another Disney film, “Captain Marvel,” with North American ticket sales of $20.7 million, pushing its cumulative worldwide total to just under $1 billion. Oscar winner Brie Larson stars as a former fighter pilot with superpowers.

Fourth place went to new release “Unplanned” from Christian production company Pure Flix, at $6.4 million -- a shade over its $6 million production budget. Ashley Bratcher stars in the true story of a young Planned Parenthood employee who becomes an anti-abortion activist.

Lionsgate’s “Five Feet Apart,” featuring Haley Lu Richardson and Cole Sprouse as a pair of enamored teens who must keep their distance as they deal with cystic fibrosis, came in fifth at $6.2 million.