‘Exodus: Gods and Kings’ Takes Top Box Office Spot for Opening Weekend

Christian Bale’s Biblical epic Exodus: Gods and Kings has taken over the North American box office after debuting at number one with $24.5 million.

The controversial movie, directed by Ridley Scott, ends The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1‘s three-week run at the top, despite less than stellar reviews.

The latest installment of the adventure franchise took $13.2 million in its fourth week on release.

The animated Penguins of Madagascar takes third place, just ahead of Chris Rock’s new comedy Top Five at four and Disney’s Big Hero 6 at five.

Exodus: Gods and Kings was the source of some recent (but ever-present) casting controversy due choosing Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton to play historic Egyptian icons Moses and Ramses. In response, the film’s director Ridley Scott told Variety, “I can’t mount a film of this budget, where I have to rely on tax rebates in Spain, and say that my lead actor is Mohammad so-and-so from such-and-such.

“I’m just not going to get it financed. So the question doesn’t even come up.”

If you had the chance to check out any of the top box office films from the past weekend, let us know what you thought of them in the comments below!

Photo Credit: 20th Century Fox