US Box-Office: 'Dunkirk' wins Box-Office weekend, 'Valerian' bombs

Christopher Nolan's WWII epic 'Dunkirk' has squashed sci-fi movie 'Valerian' at the U.S. Box-Office.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Nolan's 'Dunkirk' stormed the box office with a better-than-expected 50.5 million USD domestic debut, the best opening in recent memory for a World War II film.

Overseas, the critically acclaimed film also impressed, earning 55.4 million USD from its first 46 markets and placing No. 1 everywhere for a global assault of 105.9 million USD.

The U.K., where Nolan is from, led with 12.4 million USD, followed by South Korea with 10.3 million USD.

Warner Bros. domestic distribution president Jeff Goldstein, said, "There is something special about this late July and August playtime. We really have nothing in front of us. Chris Nolan has pedigree. His audience is always anticipating his next movie. We're proud to be part of that."

Dunkirk opened on par with Nolan's last film, Interstellar, which launched to nearly 50 million USD over the long Thanksgiving holiday in 2014, including 47.5 million USD for the three-day weekend.

'The Dark Knight Rises' (2012) was his biggest opening (160.9 million USD), followed by 2008's 'The Dark Knight' (158.4 million USD), 2005's 'Batman Begins' (73 million USD, including a three-day weekend of 48.7 million USD) and 2010's 'Inception' (62.8 million USD).

Meanwhile, 'Valerian', a sci-fi epic costing 180 million USD, crash-landed in the U.S. with a 17 million USD bow from 3,553 theaters.