‘Tax Collector’ tops the North American box office with $317K

Aug. 9 (UPI) — The Tax Collector, a crime thriller starring Shia LaBeouf and George Lopez, is the No. 1 movie at North American theaters, BoxOfficeMojo.com said Sunday.

With most cinemas still closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the film scored the top spot with $317,000 in receipts at 129 theaters.

Coming in at No. 2 is The Rental with $123,744 at 178 theaters, followed by The Big Ugly at No. 3 with $77,000 at 36 theaters and Made in Italy at No. 4 with $34,481 in 111 theaters.

The releases of most major films have been canceled or delayed in recent months, with many, including Greyhound, The Secret and Mulan, bypassing theaters altogether in favor of video-on-demand and streaming platforms.

On March 8, before theaters were shuttered in keeping with social-distancing practices meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus, the North American box office take was about $100 million.

Onward and The Invisible Man were the big hits at the time and both made quick pay-per-view debuts when the theaters closed.