Sony’s inspirational drama “Heaven Is for Real” is off to a fast start at the box office, opening at No. 1 with an estimated $3.7 million on Wednesday.
It beat “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” which has finished on top the past two weekends and took in $3.5 million. DreamWorks’ animated movie “Rio 2” earned $3.1 million. “Heaven Is or Real” averaged $1,531 at its 2,417 locations.
First-day audiences gave “A” CinemaScore to the PG-rated “Heaven Is or Real,” the tale of a small-town pastor (Greg Kinnear) whose son claims to have visited heaven after a near-death experience. Kelly Reilly, Thomas Hayden Church, Connor Corum and Margo Martindale star and Randall Wallace directs.
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Sony is hoping “Heaven Is for Real,” which is based on the 2010 Christian best-selling book by Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent, can bring in $20 million over the Easter weekend.
If it does that, it could contend for No. 1 against Johnny Depp‘s debuting sci-fi thriller “Transcendence,” Disney’s “Captain America” sequel and “Rio 2.”
The horror comedy “A Haunted House 2” and the Disneynature documentary “Bears” also open wide this weekend.