Bruce Willis starrer wins weekend in North America box office

 　　LOS ANGELES, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Veteran Hollywood action star Bruce Willis has demonstrated his winning power as his latest film "A Good Day to Die Hard" runs as the top grossing film in North America over the weekend, beating out three other debuting¹ films and a holdover along its way to the top.

　　The R-rated action film, which is the fifth installment² on the "Die Hard" action franchise³, is on track to take in nearly 25 million U.S. dollars in ticket sales between Friday and Sunday, distributor 20th Century Fox said. Helmed by "Behind Enemy Lines" director John Moore, the actioner follows how John McClane ( reprised by Willis) was caught in the crossfire⁴ of a terrorist plot while traveling to Russia to help his estranged⁵ son (played by Jai Courtney).

　　An older male-skewing film which hit the screens at 3,553 theaters in the United States and Canada on Thursday, "A Good Day to Die Hard" received mostly negative reviews from movie critics. It only garnered⁶ 16 percent approval rating from among 154 reviews, according to reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. However, moviegoers who have seen it liked it, assigning it a "B+" CinemaScore rating.

　　"Identity Thief," the Universal's R-rated comedy featuring Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman, saw its revenues dropped 32 percent, and ended the weekend with 23.4 million dollars, placing in No. 2. It is on track to gross 70.7 million dollars over two weeks.

　　Another trio of new films also made their marks on the box office derby, placing within the top 10 most popular films.

　　"Safe Haven,"a romantic drama starring Josh Duhamel and Juliette Hough, debuted⁷ in No. 3 at 21.5 million dollars. The Relativity Media's PG-13 adaptation of Nicholas Sparks's novel of the same name was not well received by critics, as it only received 13 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This is a female-skewing film, as female made up 71 percent of its audiences, while 68 percent was under 25 years of age. It also received a "B+ " rating on CinemaScore.

　　Debuting in No. 4 is the 3-D computer-animated film "Escape From Planet Earth," which is estimated to roll up 16 million dollars during the weekend. The Weinstein Co.'s flick⁸ features voices by actors including Brendan Fraser, Jessica Alba and Sarah Jessica Parker.

　　Rounding out the top 10 most popular films in North America this weekend were "Warm Bodies" (USD9 million), "Beautiful Creatures" (debuting at 7.5 million), "Side Effects" (6.3 million), "Silver Linings⁹ Playbook" (6 million), "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters" (3.5 million), and "Zero Dark Thirty" (3.1 million).

1 debuting   

初次表演，初次登台（debut的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• New debuting analog thermostat welding machine, easy to operate. 新登场模拟式调温电焊台，操作简单。
• With the new tablet device that is debuting next week, Apple Inc. 苹果公司的新型平板电脑将于下周发布。

2 installment   

n.(instalment)分期付款；(连载的)一期

参考例句：

• I shall soon pay the last installment of my debt.不久我将偿付我的最后一期债款。
• He likes to buy things on the installment plan.他喜欢用分期付款法购买货物。

3 franchise   

n.特许，特权，专营权，特许权

参考例句：

• Catering in the schools is run on a franchise basis.学校餐饮服务以特许权经营。
• The United States granted the franchise to women in 1920.美国于1920年给妇女以参政权。

4 crossfire   

n.被卷进争端

参考例句：

• They say they are caught in the crossfire between the education establishment and the government.他们称自己被卷进了教育机构与政府之间的争端。
• When two industrial giants clash,small companies can get caught in the crossfire.两大工业企业争斗之下，小公司遭受池鱼之殃。

5 estranged   

adj.疏远的，分离的

参考例句：

• He became estranged from his family after the argument.那场争吵后他便与家人疏远了。
• The argument estranged him from his brother.争吵使他同他的兄弟之间的关系疏远了。

6 garnered   

v.收集并（通常）贮藏（某物），取得，获得( garner的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Mr. Smith gradually garnered a national reputation as a financial expert. 史密斯先生逐渐赢得全国金融专家的声誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He has garnered extensive support for his proposals. 他的提议得到了广泛的支持。 来自辞典例句

7 debuted   

初次表演，初次登台（debut的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• In late 2003 a full-size SUV, the Pathfinder Armada, debuted. 2003年末，全尺寸SUV的探路者无敌舰队，推出。
• The album debuted at number two and quickly went platinum. 专辑一亮相就荣登排行榜第二名，很快就取得了白金销量。

8 flick   

n.快速的轻打，轻打声，弹开；v.轻弹，轻轻拂去，忽然摇动

参考例句：

• He gave a flick of the whip.他轻抽一下鞭子。
• By a flick of his whip,he drove the fly from the horse's head.他用鞭子轻抽了一下，将马头上的苍蝇驱走。

9 linings   

n.衬里( lining的名词复数 )；里子；衬料；组织

参考例句：

• a pair of leather gloves with fur linings 一双毛皮衬里的皮手套
• Many of the garments have the customers' name tags sewn into the linings. 这些衣服有很多内衬上缝有顾客的姓名签。 来自辞典例句