Adult audiences drive 'Sully's' big $35.5 million landing

LOS ANGELES -- Adult audiences turned out in droves to take the plunge with "Sully," director Clint Eastwood's dramatization of the Miracle on the Hudson. The film took flight with $35.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday, surpassing expectations by around $10 million.

Tom Hanks stars as Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, who made an emergency landing of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River in 2009, minutes after taking off. In addition to showing Sully's feat, the film explores the little-known National Transportation Safety Board investigation of the landing.

Both audiences and critics responded strongly to the taut drama -- Eastwood's first since "American Sniper." An estimated 80 percent of those who turned out this weekend were over the age of 35, too, according to Warner Bros.

"This is the kind of sophisticated drama that is the antidote for older audiences to the youth-driven blockbuster stylings of the summer season," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for box-office tracker comScore. "It proves that going to the movies is not just a youth-driven habit. Older audiences love to go to the movies as well, and 'Sully' is exactly the kind of movie that can bring them out."

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Final domestic figures will be released today.

1. "Sully," $35.5 million.

2. "When the Bough Breaks," $15 million.

3. "Don't Breathe," $8.2 million.

4. "Suicide Squad," $5.7 million.

5. "The Wild Life," $3.4 million.

6. "Kubo and the Two Strings," $3.2 million.

7. "Pete's Dragon," $2.9 million.

8. "Bad Moms," $2.8 million.

9. "Hell or High Water," $2.6 million.

10. "Sausage Party," $2.3 million.