Naked airline passenger; mermaid school; hot-car alarms
- Updated
Odd and interesting news from around the West.
- By SALLY HO Associated Press
- Updated
A proposed law that would require carmakers to build alarms for back seats is being pushed by child advocates who say it will prevent kids from dying in hot cars.
The law also would streamline the criminal process against caregivers who cause the deaths — cases that can be inconsistent but often heavier-handed against mothers.
The latest deaths came in Arizona on triple-digit degree days over the weekend, with two baby boys found forgotten in vehicles in separate incidents.
More than two dozen child and road safety groups are backing the U.S. Senate bill introduced last week aimed at preventing those kinds of deaths by requiring cars to be equipped with technology that can alert drivers if a child is left in the back seat once the vehicle is turned off. It could be a motion sensor that can detect a baby left sitting in a rear-facing car seat and then alert the driver, in a similar way that reminders about tire pressure, open doors and seat belts now come standard in cars.
"The technology would help because if you're in a vehicle, your child is in the back seat, and you ignore that alarm: Go to jail. Do not pass go. You had a chance," said Janette Fennell of the advocacy group Kids and Cars.org. "You talk to any of the judges, they'll tell you, they're beyond the hardest things they have to deal with."
Police say 1-year-old Josiah Riggins was in the car for hours Saturday, discovered dead only after his father drove roundtrip, twice, between their suburban home and a Phoenix church to drop off the mother and a sibling.
Zane Endress, who was 7 months old, died Friday in Phoenix after being left in the car in the driveway at home, as his usual daycare drop-off routine was lost by his grandparents.
"A simple sensor could save the lives of dozens of children killed tragically in overheated cars each year, and our bill would ensure such technology is available in every car sold in the United States," bill sponsor Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, said in a statement. "It can take mere minutes on a hot day for a car to turn into a deathtrap for a small child."
No charges have been filed against the caregivers in either Arizona case, as police say the death investigations are underway. Detectives will determine criminality based on the caregiver's neglect, intent and mindset, while also being sensitive to the family's deeply felt loss of a child, Phoenix police Sgt. Mercedes Fortune said.
"Those are the very difficult questions. Each case is different. I can't tell you there's a set answer for any case because there really isn't," Fortune said.
Kids and Cars, which has tracked more than 800 children who have died in this way since 1990, said criminal cases vary greatly, even when the circumstances are identical. Fennell said 90 percent of cases involve pure accidents, most likely a child forgotten by an adult.
In this month alone, a Tennessee couple was charged in the death of their 11-month-old daughter. A nearly 2-year-old boy was found dead in his father's BMW in south Florida.
The nonprofit's analysis shows charges are filed about half of the time, though very rarely are the parents found guilty objectively because it was proven that the child was left behind to be harmed. There is also a noted gender bias: Mothers are more often charged than fathers, and among the convicted, women caregivers receive longer prison sentences than men, the study found.
"It's also a defense mechanism. If I make monsters out of these people, then it could never happen to me," Fennell said.
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Follow Sally Ho at http://twitter.com/_sallyho
- Updated
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A transgender patient is suing a Utah doctor who they say removed both of their ovaries after the two had discussed only removing one.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/2vjG8jl ) Lesley Ann Shaw filed a lawsuit July 21 in 3rd District Court against Dr. Rixt Luikenaar for malpractice. The 37-year-old, who does not identify as male or female, went to the doctor after experiencing menstruation problems and pain for several weeks.
According to court records, the two had discussed performing a hysterectomy, where Luikennar would remove both fallopian tubes and one ovary. Shaw woke up to discover both ovaries had been taken away. Shaw says they had agreed to the surgery thinking that they would still have one ovary left.
Luikenaar's lawyer says the doctor is a well-qualified OB-GYN and has extensive experience with transgender patients.
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Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com
- Updated
CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — Tribal officials on Wyoming's Wind River Reservation are preparing for visitors looking for a prime spot to view next month's solar eclipse by blocking off sacred sites and opening parts of the reservation to campers willing to pay $500 for a permit.
More than 10,000 people are expected to come to Fremont County and the reservation, whose Crowheart community is on the center line of the Aug. 21 eclipse, The Star Tribune reported (http://bit.ly/2uKR7Ro ).
Some residents of the reservation, such as Crowheart Store owner Lloyd Haslam, are underwhelmed by the fact that their location is one of the best spots in the 14 states where the moon's passage will completely block the sun.
Haslam will keep additional supplies and gas on hand — his is the only service stop for miles — but he's skeptical that more than a few people will actually buy the $500 camping permits.
"I've had people all summer talking about it as tourist people come in and stuff," he said. "Heck, I could care less."
Two casinos on the reservation are offering eclipse packages and lodging, while a nonprofit organization is offering teepee stays.
Three swaths of land will be open to people who buy camping permits for the week leading up to the eclipse. Viewing the eclipse for the reservation's side roads also will require a day permit.
However, tribal officials warn the camping areas won't have garbage cans or toilets. It's strictly pack out what you pack in, said Art Lawson, the Shoshone and Arapaho Fish and Game director.
Lawson is in charge of most of the eclipse planning on the reservation, and he's only been on the job for three weeks.
He figures it would take 20 or 30 game wardens to adequately patrol the reservation's lands. He'll have just three, plus officers brought in from Montana by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Lawson said he plans to put up signs to tell travelers that the open spaces bordering state roads are private land requiring special permission to access. He also plans to block off some of the more sensitive sacred sites and graves.
He has already had to deny a German film crew's plans to film the eclipse from a spot on Crowheart Butte.
"I'm like, 'No, absolutely not,' " Lawson said. "There are grave sites and everything around Crowheaert Butte."
___
Information from: Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune, http://www.trib.com
- Updated
DANA POINT, Calif. (AP) — A California coastal community is eager to attract more tourists, but at the same time it's struggling with an unwelcome jump in its homeless population.
Residents and businesses in the Orange County city of Dana Point say they are seeing more homeless encampments and trash, and police are reporting an increase in calls in recent years.
Dozens of residents pleaded with city officials at a meeting this month to get control of the problem, the Orange County Register reported Sunday (http://bit.ly/2wc3nIR).
Homelessness is not new in the seaside city about 60 miles southeast of Los Angeles. But residents and business owners told the newspaper they've seen the population more than double in the last few years.
The influx has been frustrating for city officials, who are in the midst of a plan to brand the city as a five-star destination to compete for tourism dollars with nearby Laguna Beach.
Homelessness is a longstanding problem across Southern California, in part because of the mild weather.
Dana Point officials note that the city's hilly topography creates hidden shelters, and a state beach provides a place for the homeless to gather during the day. Another draw is free meals provided daily by a faith-based group.
Mayor Debra Lewis acknowledged the homeless need help, but she added that residents need to feel safe and free from aggressive behavior.
Orange County Sheriff's Department Lt. Russ Chilton, who is the city's police chief, told the newspaper an increase in the number of sober-living homes in the area has created a pool of people who become homeless after they are evicted from the homes.
"A recent shift in the criminal justice system forces us to give low-level drug offenders a ticket. The Affordable Care Act has given people access to drug and alcohol programs contributing to sober-living homes. That was an unintended consequence," he added.
- By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer
- Updated
LOS ANGELES (AP) — "The Emoji Movie" survived negative reviews but couldn't conquer "Dunkirk," which had enough fight left to conquer the box office for a second weekend in a row.
Down only 44 percent from its first weekend, director Christopher Nolan's World War II film earned $28.1 million to take first place, according to studio estimates on Sunday. "Dunkirk" has grossed $102.8 million domestically to date.
Sony Pictures Animation's "The Emoji Movie" finished second with $25.7 million. The film featuring the voices of T.J. Miller and Anna Faris as anthropomorphized emojis got pummeled by critics. It's currently resting at a dismal 8 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, but audiences still turned out.
"It's great when the critics and audiences are in sync but in the end it comes down to: Has the film reached the intended audience?" said Adrian Smith, Sony's president of domestic distribution. "Seeing these results, it clearly has."
Sony is expecting the film, which cost an estimated $50 million to produce, to play well for the rest of the summer.
The divide between reviews and a film's success has been a continuing topic this summer, as some films, such as "Baywatch," capsized under poor reviews, and others like "The Emoji Movie" seemed immune.
"Kids don't care about reviews, and there is a severe lack of family films in the marketplace," said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst for comScore.
But "The Emoji Movie" also fell at the box office throughout the weekend after a strong Friday when it placed No. 1, which Dergarabedian thinks could be due to negative word of mouth on social media. By contrast, the extremely well-reviewed "Dunkirk" rose throughout the weekend.
Also holding on quite well is Universal Pictures R-rated comedy "Girls Trip," which fell a miniscule 36 percent from its debut weekend to take third place with $20.1 million.
Even in weekend two, "Girls Trip" beat out the splashy new Charlize Theron actioner "Atomic Blonde," distributed by Universal's boutique label Focus Features. "Atomic Blonde" opened in fourth with $18.6 million.
"We think it's a really solid opening for the movie and think that the film is going to have a nice long life at the box office for the summer," said Lisa Bunnell, president of distribution for Focus Features.
Theron produced and stars in the film about a British spy on a mission in Berlin near the end of the Cold War. It cost an estimated $30 million to produce. While reviews were generally positive, audiences gave the film a middling B CinemaScore, which could affect its word-of-mouth potential.
In fifth place was "Spider-Man: Homecoming" now in its fourth weekend in theater. The new web-slinger added $13.5 million which bumped its domestic total to $278.4 million.
"Homecoming" has now officially passed both "Amazing Spider-Man" movies at the North American box office, although it is still lagging significantly behind the Tobey Maguire "Spider-Man" films.
While the summer box office remains down from last year, audiences are still turning out for some of the buzzier specialty releases. Annapurna Pictures rolled out the Kathryn Bigelow film "Detroit," about an incident during the 1967 riots, a week before its nationwide launch in 20 theaters in 10 markets including Detroit, New York, Los Angeles, Baltimore and Atlanta.
"We were doing early word of mouth screenings, and they were very strong. People were hanging in the lobby of theaters after talking and talking. We decided to kick-start the conversation early," Annapurna distribution president Erik Lomis said. "We're really excited to launch this picture."
"Detroit" earned a strong $365,455 from the limited launch.
Also playing well in limited release is the Al Gore-led climate change documentary "An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power," which took in $130,000 from four locations.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1."Dunkirk," $28.1 million ($45.6 million international).
2."The Emoji Movie," $25.7 million.
3."Girls Trip," $20.1 million ($2 million international).
4."Atomic Blonde," $18.6 million ($3 million international).
5."Spider-Man: Homecoming: $13.5 million ($19.7 million international).
6."War for the Planet of the Apes," $10.4 million ($20.5 million international).
7."Despicable Me 3," $7.7 million ($36.1 million international).
8."Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets," $6.8 million ($13.7 million international).
9."Baby Driver," $4.1 million ($8.4 million international).
10."Wonder Woman," $3.5 million.
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Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada), according to comScore:
1. "Wolf Warrior 2," $125.5 million.
2. "Dunkirk," $45.6 million.
3. "Despicable Me 3," $36.1 million.
4. "The Founding of an Army," $24 million.
5. "The Battleship Island," $22.5 million.
6. "War for the Planet of the Apes," $20.5 million.
7. "Spider-Man: Homecoming: $19.7 million.
8. "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets," $13.7 million.
9. "Transformers: The last Knight," $9.8 million.
10. "Baby Driver," $8.4 million.
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Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by 21st Century Fox; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.
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Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/ldbahr
- Updated
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — The chief executive for PBS is sounding the alarm about public broadcasting's future if federal funding is axed.
CEO Paula Kerger said Sunday that public TV stations heavily dependent on federal funds couldn't survive without it, including in rural or underserved areas.
Kerger acknowledged there have previous efforts to cut federal support for public broadcasting. But she said the latest one is occurring in a period of extraordinary events.
President Donald Trump has called for an end to federal funds for PBS and National Public Radio.
Kerger told a TV critics' meeting Saturday that she can make the case for the role PBS plays in American lives. But she said it's crucial that viewers let their congressional representatives know what it means to them.
- Updated
WENDOVER, Utah (AP) — Utah law enforcement officials are looking for two suspects who got away with a highway patrol trooper's car after a crash.
Trooper Evan Kirby tells KSL-TV (http://bit.ly/2wbCTak ) that the trooper was responding to a Sunday morning crash involving two people about 19 miles east of Wendover. The two got into the trooper's car and drove away after he got out to help them.
According to the Kirby, the trooper's car was later found abandoned. He suspects the people walked toward Bonneville Salt Flats on foot.
Kirby says other Utah Highway Patrol units and a helicopter are searching the area.
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Information from: KSL-TV, http://www.ksl.com/
- Updated
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A plane leaving Las Vegas was briefly delayed after a passenger removed all their clothes while boarding and approached a flight attendant.
The incident occurred while passengers were boarding a plane bound for Oakland, California Saturday morning.
McCarran International Airport officials say police and medical responders were called in. They took the passenger for observation. According to Lt. Carlos Hank, the passenger received treatment after the medical episode.
KTNV reports the Spirit Airlines flight was delayed by about 30 minutes and arrived 20 minutes behind scheduled.
- Updated
TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — Authorities say an Australian water skier suffered a broken leg and injured back after crashing at about 100 mph while participating in the World Water Ski Racing Championship in western Washington state.
The U.S. Coast Guard says it had a crew with a 45-foot boat at the scene assisting with the event and pulled the injured water skier from the water on Saturday.
The Coast Guard says the person was transferred to emergency responders waiting at a boat ramp near the event being held in Tacoma.
The water skier's name wasn't released.
- By CHERYL SCHWEIZER Columbia Basin Herald
- Updated
MOSES LAKE, Wash. (AP) — There's just something about mermaids — little girls love them, like they love princesses.
Playing mermaid can get so realistic that girls can buy a tail. But — water being unforgiving — kids (and adults, there are adult-size tails) have to know what they're doing once they get in the water while wearing a tail. The Surf 'n Slide Water Park has that covered with Mermaid School.
Mermaid School teaches kids how to maneuver while in the water wearing a mermaid tail, but kids need to have some knowledge of swimming before they qualify for school, Lauren Ausere said. Lauren is a Surf 'n Slide assistant manager and a Mermaid School instructor.
The tail is a monofin, shaped like a fish fin, with an attached covering for the legs. The leg covering is made of the same material as modern swimsuits.
Lauren has gone swimming with a mermaid's tail. "I like it a lot. It's a lot of fun," she said. "It's pretty cool."
Enrolling in Mermaid School requires successful completion of Level 3 swimming lessons. (Kids in Level 3 have learned "front and back crawl," according to the water park's swim lesson schedule.)
That equates to knowing how to swim and tread water, along with being comfortable going underwater, Lauren said. The mermaids don't stay in the shallow end - last Thursday's class was in the deep water by the diving boards, as well as practicing in the Lazy River. "They should be comfortable when they can't touch," Lauren said.
Just like competition swimmers, mermaids use the "dolphin kick." That's defined as a swim kick where the legs move up and down together, knees bent on the upswing. Which makes it really useful for burgeoning mermaids.
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Information from: Columbia Basin Herald, http://www.columbiabasinherald.com
More like this...
- By SALLY HO Associated Press
A proposed law that would require carmakers to build alarms for back seats is being pushed by child advocates who say it will prevent kids from dying in hot cars.
The law also would streamline the criminal process against caregivers who cause the deaths — cases that can be inconsistent but often heavier-handed against mothers.
The latest deaths came in Arizona on triple-digit degree days over the weekend, with two baby boys found forgotten in vehicles in separate incidents.
More than two dozen child and road safety groups are backing the U.S. Senate bill introduced last week aimed at preventing those kinds of deaths by requiring cars to be equipped with technology that can alert drivers if a child is left in the back seat once the vehicle is turned off. It could be a motion sensor that can detect a baby left sitting in a rear-facing car seat and then alert the driver, in a similar way that reminders about tire pressure, open doors and seat belts now come standard in cars.
"The technology would help because if you're in a vehicle, your child is in the back seat, and you ignore that alarm: Go to jail. Do not pass go. You had a chance," said Janette Fennell of the advocacy group Kids and Cars.org. "You talk to any of the judges, they'll tell you, they're beyond the hardest things they have to deal with."
Police say 1-year-old Josiah Riggins was in the car for hours Saturday, discovered dead only after his father drove roundtrip, twice, between their suburban home and a Phoenix church to drop off the mother and a sibling.
Zane Endress, who was 7 months old, died Friday in Phoenix after being left in the car in the driveway at home, as his usual daycare drop-off routine was lost by his grandparents.
"A simple sensor could save the lives of dozens of children killed tragically in overheated cars each year, and our bill would ensure such technology is available in every car sold in the United States," bill sponsor Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, said in a statement. "It can take mere minutes on a hot day for a car to turn into a deathtrap for a small child."
No charges have been filed against the caregivers in either Arizona case, as police say the death investigations are underway. Detectives will determine criminality based on the caregiver's neglect, intent and mindset, while also being sensitive to the family's deeply felt loss of a child, Phoenix police Sgt. Mercedes Fortune said.
"Those are the very difficult questions. Each case is different. I can't tell you there's a set answer for any case because there really isn't," Fortune said.
Kids and Cars, which has tracked more than 800 children who have died in this way since 1990, said criminal cases vary greatly, even when the circumstances are identical. Fennell said 90 percent of cases involve pure accidents, most likely a child forgotten by an adult.
In this month alone, a Tennessee couple was charged in the death of their 11-month-old daughter. A nearly 2-year-old boy was found dead in his father's BMW in south Florida.
The nonprofit's analysis shows charges are filed about half of the time, though very rarely are the parents found guilty objectively because it was proven that the child was left behind to be harmed. There is also a noted gender bias: Mothers are more often charged than fathers, and among the convicted, women caregivers receive longer prison sentences than men, the study found.
"It's also a defense mechanism. If I make monsters out of these people, then it could never happen to me," Fennell said.
___
Follow Sally Ho at http://twitter.com/_sallyho
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A transgender patient is suing a Utah doctor who they say removed both of their ovaries after the two had discussed only removing one.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/2vjG8jl ) Lesley Ann Shaw filed a lawsuit July 21 in 3rd District Court against Dr. Rixt Luikenaar for malpractice. The 37-year-old, who does not identify as male or female, went to the doctor after experiencing menstruation problems and pain for several weeks.
According to court records, the two had discussed performing a hysterectomy, where Luikennar would remove both fallopian tubes and one ovary. Shaw woke up to discover both ovaries had been taken away. Shaw says they had agreed to the surgery thinking that they would still have one ovary left.
Luikenaar's lawyer says the doctor is a well-qualified OB-GYN and has extensive experience with transgender patients.
___
Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com
CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — Tribal officials on Wyoming's Wind River Reservation are preparing for visitors looking for a prime spot to view next month's solar eclipse by blocking off sacred sites and opening parts of the reservation to campers willing to pay $500 for a permit.
More than 10,000 people are expected to come to Fremont County and the reservation, whose Crowheart community is on the center line of the Aug. 21 eclipse, The Star Tribune reported (http://bit.ly/2uKR7Ro ).
Some residents of the reservation, such as Crowheart Store owner Lloyd Haslam, are underwhelmed by the fact that their location is one of the best spots in the 14 states where the moon's passage will completely block the sun.
Haslam will keep additional supplies and gas on hand — his is the only service stop for miles — but he's skeptical that more than a few people will actually buy the $500 camping permits.
"I've had people all summer talking about it as tourist people come in and stuff," he said. "Heck, I could care less."
Two casinos on the reservation are offering eclipse packages and lodging, while a nonprofit organization is offering teepee stays.
Three swaths of land will be open to people who buy camping permits for the week leading up to the eclipse. Viewing the eclipse for the reservation's side roads also will require a day permit.
However, tribal officials warn the camping areas won't have garbage cans or toilets. It's strictly pack out what you pack in, said Art Lawson, the Shoshone and Arapaho Fish and Game director.
Lawson is in charge of most of the eclipse planning on the reservation, and he's only been on the job for three weeks.
He figures it would take 20 or 30 game wardens to adequately patrol the reservation's lands. He'll have just three, plus officers brought in from Montana by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Lawson said he plans to put up signs to tell travelers that the open spaces bordering state roads are private land requiring special permission to access. He also plans to block off some of the more sensitive sacred sites and graves.
He has already had to deny a German film crew's plans to film the eclipse from a spot on Crowheart Butte.
"I'm like, 'No, absolutely not,' " Lawson said. "There are grave sites and everything around Crowheaert Butte."
___
Information from: Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune, http://www.trib.com
DANA POINT, Calif. (AP) — A California coastal community is eager to attract more tourists, but at the same time it's struggling with an unwelcome jump in its homeless population.
Residents and businesses in the Orange County city of Dana Point say they are seeing more homeless encampments and trash, and police are reporting an increase in calls in recent years.
Dozens of residents pleaded with city officials at a meeting this month to get control of the problem, the Orange County Register reported Sunday (http://bit.ly/2wc3nIR).
Homelessness is not new in the seaside city about 60 miles southeast of Los Angeles. But residents and business owners told the newspaper they've seen the population more than double in the last few years.
The influx has been frustrating for city officials, who are in the midst of a plan to brand the city as a five-star destination to compete for tourism dollars with nearby Laguna Beach.
Homelessness is a longstanding problem across Southern California, in part because of the mild weather.
Dana Point officials note that the city's hilly topography creates hidden shelters, and a state beach provides a place for the homeless to gather during the day. Another draw is free meals provided daily by a faith-based group.
Mayor Debra Lewis acknowledged the homeless need help, but she added that residents need to feel safe and free from aggressive behavior.
Orange County Sheriff's Department Lt. Russ Chilton, who is the city's police chief, told the newspaper an increase in the number of sober-living homes in the area has created a pool of people who become homeless after they are evicted from the homes.
"A recent shift in the criminal justice system forces us to give low-level drug offenders a ticket. The Affordable Care Act has given people access to drug and alcohol programs contributing to sober-living homes. That was an unintended consequence," he added.
- By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) — "The Emoji Movie" survived negative reviews but couldn't conquer "Dunkirk," which had enough fight left to conquer the box office for a second weekend in a row.
Down only 44 percent from its first weekend, director Christopher Nolan's World War II film earned $28.1 million to take first place, according to studio estimates on Sunday. "Dunkirk" has grossed $102.8 million domestically to date.
Sony Pictures Animation's "The Emoji Movie" finished second with $25.7 million. The film featuring the voices of T.J. Miller and Anna Faris as anthropomorphized emojis got pummeled by critics. It's currently resting at a dismal 8 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, but audiences still turned out.
"It's great when the critics and audiences are in sync but in the end it comes down to: Has the film reached the intended audience?" said Adrian Smith, Sony's president of domestic distribution. "Seeing these results, it clearly has."
Sony is expecting the film, which cost an estimated $50 million to produce, to play well for the rest of the summer.
The divide between reviews and a film's success has been a continuing topic this summer, as some films, such as "Baywatch," capsized under poor reviews, and others like "The Emoji Movie" seemed immune.
"Kids don't care about reviews, and there is a severe lack of family films in the marketplace," said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst for comScore.
But "The Emoji Movie" also fell at the box office throughout the weekend after a strong Friday when it placed No. 1, which Dergarabedian thinks could be due to negative word of mouth on social media. By contrast, the extremely well-reviewed "Dunkirk" rose throughout the weekend.
Also holding on quite well is Universal Pictures R-rated comedy "Girls Trip," which fell a miniscule 36 percent from its debut weekend to take third place with $20.1 million.
Even in weekend two, "Girls Trip" beat out the splashy new Charlize Theron actioner "Atomic Blonde," distributed by Universal's boutique label Focus Features. "Atomic Blonde" opened in fourth with $18.6 million.
"We think it's a really solid opening for the movie and think that the film is going to have a nice long life at the box office for the summer," said Lisa Bunnell, president of distribution for Focus Features.
Theron produced and stars in the film about a British spy on a mission in Berlin near the end of the Cold War. It cost an estimated $30 million to produce. While reviews were generally positive, audiences gave the film a middling B CinemaScore, which could affect its word-of-mouth potential.
In fifth place was "Spider-Man: Homecoming" now in its fourth weekend in theater. The new web-slinger added $13.5 million which bumped its domestic total to $278.4 million.
"Homecoming" has now officially passed both "Amazing Spider-Man" movies at the North American box office, although it is still lagging significantly behind the Tobey Maguire "Spider-Man" films.
While the summer box office remains down from last year, audiences are still turning out for some of the buzzier specialty releases. Annapurna Pictures rolled out the Kathryn Bigelow film "Detroit," about an incident during the 1967 riots, a week before its nationwide launch in 20 theaters in 10 markets including Detroit, New York, Los Angeles, Baltimore and Atlanta.
"We were doing early word of mouth screenings, and they were very strong. People were hanging in the lobby of theaters after talking and talking. We decided to kick-start the conversation early," Annapurna distribution president Erik Lomis said. "We're really excited to launch this picture."
"Detroit" earned a strong $365,455 from the limited launch.
Also playing well in limited release is the Al Gore-led climate change documentary "An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power," which took in $130,000 from four locations.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1."Dunkirk," $28.1 million ($45.6 million international).
2."The Emoji Movie," $25.7 million.
3."Girls Trip," $20.1 million ($2 million international).
4."Atomic Blonde," $18.6 million ($3 million international).
5."Spider-Man: Homecoming: $13.5 million ($19.7 million international).
6."War for the Planet of the Apes," $10.4 million ($20.5 million international).
7."Despicable Me 3," $7.7 million ($36.1 million international).
8."Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets," $6.8 million ($13.7 million international).
9."Baby Driver," $4.1 million ($8.4 million international).
10."Wonder Woman," $3.5 million.
___
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada), according to comScore:
1. "Wolf Warrior 2," $125.5 million.
2. "Dunkirk," $45.6 million.
3. "Despicable Me 3," $36.1 million.
4. "The Founding of an Army," $24 million.
5. "The Battleship Island," $22.5 million.
6. "War for the Planet of the Apes," $20.5 million.
7. "Spider-Man: Homecoming: $19.7 million.
8. "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets," $13.7 million.
9. "Transformers: The last Knight," $9.8 million.
10. "Baby Driver," $8.4 million.
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Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by 21st Century Fox; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.
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Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/ldbahr
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — The chief executive for PBS is sounding the alarm about public broadcasting's future if federal funding is axed.
CEO Paula Kerger said Sunday that public TV stations heavily dependent on federal funds couldn't survive without it, including in rural or underserved areas.
Kerger acknowledged there have previous efforts to cut federal support for public broadcasting. But she said the latest one is occurring in a period of extraordinary events.
President Donald Trump has called for an end to federal funds for PBS and National Public Radio.
Kerger told a TV critics' meeting Saturday that she can make the case for the role PBS plays in American lives. But she said it's crucial that viewers let their congressional representatives know what it means to them.
WENDOVER, Utah (AP) — Utah law enforcement officials are looking for two suspects who got away with a highway patrol trooper's car after a crash.
Trooper Evan Kirby tells KSL-TV (http://bit.ly/2wbCTak ) that the trooper was responding to a Sunday morning crash involving two people about 19 miles east of Wendover. The two got into the trooper's car and drove away after he got out to help them.
According to the Kirby, the trooper's car was later found abandoned. He suspects the people walked toward Bonneville Salt Flats on foot.
Kirby says other Utah Highway Patrol units and a helicopter are searching the area.
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Information from: KSL-TV, http://www.ksl.com/
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A plane leaving Las Vegas was briefly delayed after a passenger removed all their clothes while boarding and approached a flight attendant.
The incident occurred while passengers were boarding a plane bound for Oakland, California Saturday morning.
McCarran International Airport officials say police and medical responders were called in. They took the passenger for observation. According to Lt. Carlos Hank, the passenger received treatment after the medical episode.
KTNV reports the Spirit Airlines flight was delayed by about 30 minutes and arrived 20 minutes behind scheduled.
TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — Authorities say an Australian water skier suffered a broken leg and injured back after crashing at about 100 mph while participating in the World Water Ski Racing Championship in western Washington state.
The U.S. Coast Guard says it had a crew with a 45-foot boat at the scene assisting with the event and pulled the injured water skier from the water on Saturday.
The Coast Guard says the person was transferred to emergency responders waiting at a boat ramp near the event being held in Tacoma.
The water skier's name wasn't released.
- By CHERYL SCHWEIZER Columbia Basin Herald
MOSES LAKE, Wash. (AP) — There's just something about mermaids — little girls love them, like they love princesses.
Playing mermaid can get so realistic that girls can buy a tail. But — water being unforgiving — kids (and adults, there are adult-size tails) have to know what they're doing once they get in the water while wearing a tail. The Surf 'n Slide Water Park has that covered with Mermaid School.
Mermaid School teaches kids how to maneuver while in the water wearing a mermaid tail, but kids need to have some knowledge of swimming before they qualify for school, Lauren Ausere said. Lauren is a Surf 'n Slide assistant manager and a Mermaid School instructor.
The tail is a monofin, shaped like a fish fin, with an attached covering for the legs. The leg covering is made of the same material as modern swimsuits.
Lauren has gone swimming with a mermaid's tail. "I like it a lot. It's a lot of fun," she said. "It's pretty cool."
Enrolling in Mermaid School requires successful completion of Level 3 swimming lessons. (Kids in Level 3 have learned "front and back crawl," according to the water park's swim lesson schedule.)
That equates to knowing how to swim and tread water, along with being comfortable going underwater, Lauren said. The mermaids don't stay in the shallow end - last Thursday's class was in the deep water by the diving boards, as well as practicing in the Lazy River. "They should be comfortable when they can't touch," Lauren said.
Just like competition swimmers, mermaids use the "dolphin kick." That's defined as a swim kick where the legs move up and down together, knees bent on the upswing. Which makes it really useful for burgeoning mermaids.
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Information from: Columbia Basin Herald, http://www.columbiabasinherald.com
U of A president declines to sign shared governance contract with faculty
