'King Arthur' flops; 'Guardians 2' still rules at box office

LOS ANGELES -- The first major box office flop of the summer movie season has arrived.

Studio estimates Sunday said director Guy Ritchie's "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword" opened to a bleak $14.7 million from more than 3,700 locations against a costly $175 million production budget.

The gritty reimaging of the Excalibur myth starring Charlie Hunnam as Arthur debuted in third place behind box-office leader "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" and "Snatched" at No. 2.

Warner Bros. was disappointed at the poor showing for "King Arthur" but hopeful for the rest of its summer slate, including "Wonder Woman" and Christopher Nolan's "Dunkirk."

"Snatched" surprised analysts by beating "King Arthur" on the charts. The raunchy Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn comedy from 20th Century Fox opened with $17.5 million.

Marvel and Disney's "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" collected $63 million and has earned $246.2 million domestically in just two weeks.

It was down just 57 percent from last weekend and is proving to be the only film in theaters capable of drawing mass audiences.

Rounding out the top five were holdovers "The Fate of the Furious," with $5.3 million, and "The Boss Baby" with $4.6 million.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore.

1. "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," $63 million.

2. "Snatched," $17.5 million.

3. "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword," $14.7 million.

4. "The Fate of the Furious," $5.3 million."

5. "The Boss Baby," $4.6 million.

6. "Beauty and the Beast," $3.9 million.

7. "How to be a Latin Lover," $3.8 million.

8. "Lowriders," $2.4 million.

9. "The Circle," $1.7 million.

10. "MET Opera: Der Rosenkavalier (2017)," $1.7 million.