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Deadpool reigns, Maggie Smith pulls them in, three Aussie directors struggle

Maggie Smith in The Lady in the Van.

Deadpool remains on top at the Australian box office after four weeks, ringing up $2.5 million over the weekend.

The profane superhero played by Ryan Reynolds appeared on 281 screens across the country. The Fox outing has now made $37.2 million overall.

The next best, and first among debutants, was The Lady in the Van, starring Maggie Smith as a rather different kind of hero.

The film, directed by Nicholas Hytner and based on Alan Bennett's play about the vagrant who lived in his driveway for decades, took in close to $2.2 million in its first week.

WB's How To Be Single remained steady, dropping thirty-five percent to ring up $1.3 million over the weekend. The Rebel Wilson-starring comedy has now made over $8 million in Australian cinemas.

In its second week, the Coens' Hail, Caesar! dropped forty-seven percent to rake in $673,896, for a cume of close to $2.5 million.

Alex Proyas' Gods of Egypt is currently on 200 screens in its second week. eOne's action-adventure made $548,016 over the weekend and has made over $1.7 million in total.

The Oscar-anointed Spotlight, meanwhile, is still on 181 screens after six weeks and has so far made almost $4.4 million domestically.  

Australian director John Hillcoat's new film Triple 9 (his first without Guy Pearce since 1996's To Have & to Hold) debuted on 145 screens and pulled in $463,087, while Brooklyn dropped forty-one percent for a weekend tally of $419,196, bringing its cume to $4.6 million after four weeks.

After losing out on best picture at the Oscars, The Revenant came in tenth at the local BO in its ninth week. It has now rung up $19,548,689.

Disney's The Finest Hours, directed by Australian Craig Gillespie (Lars and the Real Girl) and starring Eric Bana as well as Chris Pine amd Casey Affleck, enjoyed an opening as damp as its waterlogged characters, pulling in $252,343 on 142 screens.

In its sixth week, Looking for Grace is still on 29 screens, and has taken $549,496 overall.

Last week it made $5,460, similar to the amount rang up by Disney's Zootopia ($5,012) in previews. 

The animated film bested Deadpool at the American BO over the weekend.

Expect Zootopia (the local version of which features the voice of Nine's David Campbell) to do the same when it opens here March 17.

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