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‘Hidden Figures’ keeps orbit at top; Affleck, Scorsese flop

This image released by Twentieth Century Fox shows Taraji P. Henson as Katherine Johnson, center, in a scene from "Hidden Figures." (Hopper Stone/Twentieth Century Fox via AP) This image released by Twentieth Century Fox shows Taraji P. Henson as Katherine Johnson, center, in a scene from "Hidden Figures." (Hopper Stone/Twentieth Century Fox via AP)

By Associated Press January 15, 2017 1 min read

NEW YORK (AP) – The crowd-pleasing NASA drama “Hidden Figures” has topped the box office for the second straight week, while a pair of high-priced prestige releases sputtered.

Estimates on Sunday say “Hidden Figures,” a tale about African-American mathematicians in the 1960s space race, sold $20.5 million in tickets in North American theaters over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. Fox anticipates it will make $25.3 million when Monday is included.

In a crowded field that included the “Star Wars” hit “Rogue One,” the Oscar favorite “La La Land” and the surprisingly strong supernatural thriller “The Bye Bye Man,” several big-name directors flopped.

Ben Affleck’s period crime thriller “Live By Night” earned a mere $5.4 million. Martin Scorsese’s Christian epic “Silence” took in just $1.9 million.