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Not into the flu shot? Think of it as a heart attack vaccine instead.

That is because the first week or so of a flu infection appears to make you much more susceptible to a heart attack, according to a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The findings are based on 148,307 cases of patients who were tested for influenza. Among those tests, 19,729 turned up positive for the flu. And among those cases, there were 332 patients had at least one heart attack in the year before or after their flu specimen was tested. (The study authors tallied 364 hospitalisations for acute myocardial infarction overall, meaning that some unlucky folks had two or more heart attacks during the two-year observation period.)

Twenty of those heart attacks occurred within one week of a positive flu test. That, of course, was a rate of 20 heart attacks per week.

The other 344 heart attacks happened some other time in the two-year observation period. That worked out to 3.3 heart attacks per week.

That means the risk of a heart attack was six times greater in the first week after flu testing than at other times when the flu was less likely to be a factor.

The researchers redid their analysis by splitting up that danger week into two parts. They found that heart attack risk was 6.3 times greater during the first three days after a flu test and 5.8 times greater in days four through seven.

About one-quarter of the patients in the study were 65 years old, and the rest were older. When the researchers examined the two groups separately, the link between flu infection and heart attack risk held up only for the older group.

There was no sign of an increased heart attack risk in the rest of the first month after getting a flu test.

The researchers, led by Dr Jeffrey C. Kwong of the University of Toronto, acknowledged that they could not do their analysis based on the date when patients were actually infected with the influenza virus, or when they first began having symptoms, because the information was not available. However, in cases where patients get a flu test, they have been sick for only one or two days first.

Also, not all flu cases are severe enough to prompt patients to go and get tested. That means the results of this study may not apply to people with milder illnesses, they added.

The researchers did notice that when flu test results came back positive for certain kinds of respiratory infections instead of influenza, there was still an increased (though smaller) short-term risk for heart attacks. That suggests that it is not the flu itself that is the problem — it is the biological impact of a respiratory infection.

For instance, an infection can create conditions that make blood clots more likely to form and cause blood vessels to constrict. Infections also cause inflammation and can reduce blood pressure. All of these are risk factors for a heart attack, Kwong and his colleagues wrote.

The study’s results suggest that people who want to avoid a heart attack should be sure to get a flu shot — and that doctors and public health officials should encourage them to do so.

“Cardiovascular events triggered by influenza are potentially preventable by vaccination,” the researchers wrote.

Vaccines for other kinds of respiratory infections should be embraced as well, they added. Even simple actions like washing your hands, blocking your cough and keeping germy surfaces clean may reduce your risk of a heart attack.

By Silvia Zayadin

Any pet owner knows the enormous joy and comfort that an animal can provide, especially in troubled times. Research confirms the value of the human-animal bond in child development, elderly care, mental illness, physical impairment, dementia, abuse and trauma recovery.

People of all ages, both healthy and ill, benefit from living with a pet and are more active and social. The invisible ties that bind us to our pets can have a dramatic impact on our lives and our health. Having a pet in the home improves the health and well-being of everyone in the household.

People who have pets tend to have lower blood pressure, heart rate and heart-disease risk than those who do not. The extra exercise that playing and walking require and the stress relief of having a furry best friend who loves you unconditionally make pet ownership good for both mind and body! 

In one 2015 study published in Anxiety, Stress and Coping journal, a stressed-out group of adults were told to pet a rabbit, a turtle or their toy forms. The toys had no effect but stroking a living creature, whether hard-shelled or furry, relieved anxiety.

Animals are known to play a central, influential role in children’s lives. Studies report that children owning pets or interacting with them on a regular basis tend to be more responsible and independent.

Pets can be powerful allies for children battling health problems, too. In a study, therapy animals helped paediatric cancer patients become more motivated to participate in their treatment. Those kids were also more likely to stay optimistic and want to get better.

Another study found that an animal’s presence increased positive social behaviours among children with autism spectrum disorder.

According to the September 2017 issue of the journal Anthrozoös, children raised in families with pets were reported by their parents to: 

•Have better general health

•Be more cooperative

•Be more physically active 

•Be less moody 

•Have fewer behavioural problems

•Have fewer learning problems

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine

The American Quarter

Jabbour Douaihy

Translated by Paula Haydar

US: Interlink Books, 2018

Pp. 170

Lebanese novelist Jabbour Douaihy situates his story in Tripoli, in the north of his country. Though it is Lebanon’s second largest city and filled with noteworthy ancient architecture, particularly from the Mamluk period, Tripoli seldom gets the attention it merits. With his beautifully flowing prose, Douaihy seems determined to make up for this neglect by ushering the reader into the city’s streets, markets and homes, recalling its social customs and parts of its history. As the title suggests, the focus is on the American Quarter, so-called because of the abandoned Evangelical School there. By the time the story opens during the US invasion of Iraq, the building has for many years housed a branch of the Syrian intelligence agency—one of many ironies which subtly portray the author’s own attitudes.

Contrary to what one might expect, the American Quarter is now a poor neighbourhood. Many of the main characters are clustered in a single, crumbling building: “Here and there one could still see remnants of the building’s original embellishments—a rose-shaped carving on the marble mantel above the heavy door of resinous wood, or the crumbling stone etchings along the edge of the roof—all manifestations of its current wretched state that betrayed the presence of a former life… That was before Tripoli was inundated by the poor folk from the nearby mountains who could no longer subsist on harvesting the locally grown Im Husein apricots, or any other fruit trees for that matter.” (p. 2) 

The novel contains many fascinating and quirky characters which Douaihy draws with equal amounts of humour and empathy, but there are three that are pivotal to the plot. Intisar, an attractive, enterprising woman with a worthless husband and several children, including a disabled son, to raise on her own, is by far the most interesting. She has put all her hopes for the future on Ismail, her oldest son, but despite completing high school and enrolling in a vocational training institute, nothing in the world he sees around him motivates him to do something with his life. Every day, Intisar, like her mother before her, crosses the city on foot to work as a housekeeper for the Azzams, a notable family with a long history of nationalist leadership. Now, only one son, Abdelkarim, remains in the Azzam mansion, and he seems totally cut off from the city’s life. Overprotected as a child, he fell prey to melancholy and “started to develop the feeling that the world was somewhere he was not”. (p. 39)

He conquered this melancholy during the years he spent in Paris, where he fell in love with a ballerina, but it returned with a vengeance after she disappeared, and he returned to Tripoli. Now he spends his time alone, listening to music, drinking and mourning his lost love. He only arouses when Intisar hides Ismail at the mansion because he is wanted by the police, and the two men confide in each other during a long night.

Meanwhile, extremists manage to marginalise the town’s beloved sheikh who speaks out against the US invasion of Iraq, but also opposes sending young men to fight, saying that “the most important jihad is man’s struggle against himself”. (p. 117)

The fundamentalists take over his mosque, preaching an intolerant version of Islam and recruiting for jihad. With the Iraq war raging not far away, their vision gains credence among some disenchanted sectors of society. 

Intisar is not blind to these changes. “She’d been impressed by repeated references to the widespread despair infecting the city’s old neighbourhoods and its connection to the surge in violence and fundamentalist movements in the area.” (p. 22)

But it takes a while before she realises that Ismail has been recruited by the jihadists. Events pile up, and one does not know if Ismail will carry out his assigned mission which entails widespread killing of civilians. 

Douaihy’s treatment of Ismail’s radicalisation is thought-provoking. He does not over-dramatise or editorialise. Simply put, Ismail’s life gains a kind of coherence, even if only temporarily. Nor is it assumed that such conversions only happen to misfits or the psychologically disturbed. Rather, the novel’s descriptions of life in the American Quarter provide socio-economic background for making such a choice. The implication is that it can happen to almost anyone among the vast pool of frustrated Arab citizens, if job opportunities are scarce and all avenues to a better future are blocked.

Ismail’s radicalisation is linked to Tripoli’s decline. “At one time, this same city had fought off the French Mandate, and it stood in solidarity with every Arab cause… But nowadays, the city couldn’t be bothered. During elections, the rich went around buying votes—rich people with fortunes amassed by questionable means.” (p. 99)

Added to this is the alienation caused by the abuse of power, torture, killings and imprisonment enacted by the military and secret police. 

Commenting on a burning question of our time, “The American Quarter” is both a tribute to Tripoli’s proud heritage and a warning of the consequences if inequality and injustice are allowed to prevail. Yet, Douaihy’s social critique has a light touch, cleverly belittling and satirising the corrupt and hypocritical.

NEW YORK — After the German shepherd Rumour won the top prize at last year’s Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York, she had her first litter of puppies and retired from competition, like many female show dogs. 

By contrast, most top male show dogs can keep competing for years, and it is no coincidence that they also win “Best in Show” in the prestigious annual competition far more often than females, breeders and handlers said as they prepared for this year’s show, which opens on Monday, February 12 in New York. 

“Now she won’t show again, she’s done,” said Gail Miller Bisher, a spokeswoman for the Westminster Kennel Club, referring to Rumour. “But males can keep going. They can be used as stud and continue showing and keep their coat and keep their shape of body and all that.” 

Female dogs, known in pure-bred circles as “bitches”, have snared Best in Show at Westminster 39 times since the award was first given in 1907. Males, known simply as “dogs”, have been victorious 71 times, almost twice as often. 

A dog’s peak age for competition is three to five years old, which also happens to be prime breeding age for females, said Kimberly Calvacca, a professional handler and breeder from Westbury, New York. 

The Best in Show winner crowned on Tuesday night takes home a trophy. But the real reward is the increased value on the breeding circuit, which is one reason victory can end a female’s competitive career. 

“People don’t like to campaign females because they don’t like to jeopardise their breeding programme,” said Calvacca. “Males can be used to stud anytime, and still show and breed at the same time.” 

As a consequence, females are less likely to compete at Westminster, the second-oldest US sporting event after the Kentucky Derby. Ahead of this year’s opening day on Monday, there were 1,220 female competitors and 1,699 male challengers enrolled in most categories, including vying to be named top dog on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. 

A female competitor’s “heat” cycle brings changes in temperament and hormones that can also hurt its chances of winning the world-renowned show for pure-bred canines. 

Many handlers and owners will not show a female during its cycle, which comes about every six months, because “they’re moody”, said Wendy Kellerman, a handler and breeder from Hauppauge, New York. 

Depending on the breed, a female dog in season will shed her coat, leaving her less impressive looking than male peers. Those kinds of changes can knock her out of competition for months. 

“Some people say, ‘I don’t want to be bothered with that, I’ll go with a male,” said Calvacca. 

Betty-Anne Stenmark, the sole judge of this year’s Best in Show competition at Westminster, said appearance was important when it comes to picking a world champion. But she denied that the cards are stacked in favour of males. 

Stenmark said each sex has a “50-50 chance” of winning and judging can be highly subjective, depending on a judge’s experience. 

In the end, a male Best in Show winner can bring a bigger payoff than a female because a male can breed many times, and even have its sperm frozen, while females can produce only so many litters and puppies, said WKC’s Bisher. 

“The males obviously have an easier go of it, whereas the girls having a litter is stressful for everybody,” she said. 

Children who play with second-hand plastic toys may be exposed to unsafe levels of chemicals like lead and cadmium that have been linked to developmental problems and organ damage, a UK study suggests. 

For the study, researchers tested 200 second-hand plastic toys they found in homes, nurseries and charity shops. Toys included cars, trains, action figures, puzzles and blocks — all of which were small enough to be chewed by young children. 

They discovered high concentrations of hazardous elements including antimony, barium, bromine, cadmium, chromium, lead and selenium in many building blocks, figures and items of jewellery that were typically either yellow, red or black. 

Even at low levels, these chemicals can be toxic to children who are exposed to them over an extended period of time, especially when kids chew on toys. 

“The findings confirm the presence of relatively large concentrations of chemicals which have since been restricted or banned, including the brightly coloured pigments cadmium sulphoselenide and lead chromate,” said Andrew Turner, an environmental health researcher at the University of Plymouth. 

“The study also found evidence of large quantities of flame retardant residues in some neutrally coloured toys,” Turner said by e-mail. “These residues are likely derived from the recycling of electronic waste.” 

To assess the amount of chemicals in the toys, researchers used what is known as X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, a process that scientists often use to determine what chemicals are in rocks, minerals, sediments and fluids. 

Researchers also did additional tests designed to simulate stomach conditions by putting toys in a hydrochloric acid solution. Under these conditions, several toys released quantities of bromine, cadmium, or lead that exceeded limits permitted under toy safety regulations in Europe. 

Young children are particularly susceptible to the health impacts of these chemicals because they have faster metabolisms than adults, and more rapid growth of organs and tissues. 

While regulations in Europe and elsewhere have banned or limited use of many chemicals in toys, children may still be exposed by playing with something passed down through the generations or picked up at a yard sale or second-hand shop, researchers note in Environmental Science and Technology. 

Parents may not be able to tell toys are dangerous just by looking at them, the study found. 

For example, red and yellow Lego bricks from the 1970s looked similar to Legos from the 1990s, but the older versions contained cadmium that was not present in the newer ones. 

The study was not a controlled experiment designed to prove whether or how exposure to certain chemicals might lead to health problems. Researchers also did not systematically compare the chemical content of older versus newer toys. 

Still, the findings suggest that parents should be cautious about plastic toys because they may contain harmful chemicals that may leech out easily when kids chew on them, said Dr Luz Claudio, an environmental health researcher at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. 

“The stricter regulations that limit chemicals in toys do not apply retroactively to older toys,” Claudio, who was not involved in the study, said by e-mail. 

As much as possible, parents can try to give kids alternatives to plastics, whether it is plush toys or books to play with or frozen fruit wrapped in cheesecloth to teethe on, Claudio advised. 

“As a mother, I understand that our children live in a plastic world and are surrounded by potentially hazardous chemicals,” Claudio said. “I think that if parents become aware of the issues, they will come up with alternatives to protect their children.”

Flu shots may be especially important for older women who are socially active, a study from Japan suggests. 

In a study of people over age 65, unvaccinated women who regularly participated in two or more social activities were twice as likely to report a flu infection as those who did not participate in any such activities, the study authors report. 

At the same time, women who were vaccinated had no additional risk. 

“It has been thought that vaccine effectiveness is relatively low in elder persons... but our research shows some meaning for older adults,” said lead study author Dr Yugo Shobugawa of Niigata University in Niigata, Japan. 

Worldwide, the flu affects 3-5 million people annually and can result in 300,000 to 650,000 deaths, according to the World Health Organisation. In industrialised countries, most of these deaths occur among adults over age 65 who develop secondary infections such as pneumonia. 

“Effectiveness of the influenza vaccine varies by season because circulating strains vary and are gradually evolving,” Shobugawa told Reuters Health by e-mail. “However, this suggests a need for further efforts to promote vaccination, particularly among socially active elders.” 

Shobugawa and colleagues analysed data for more than 12,200 men and 14,000 women over age 65. They examined the association between flu infection and social participation in volunteer groups, sports groups, leisure activity groups, senior citizen clubs, neighbourhood associations, cultural groups, nursing care or health promotion groups, local events and grandchild-rearing support. 

Among men, social participation was not associated with developing the flu, and it did not vary among vaccinated or unvaccinated men. 

Respiratory disease, however, nearly doubled a man’s chance of getting the flu, regardless of whether he was vaccinated or unvaccinated. 

Vaccines may help reduce the spread of infection among social groups, the study authors wrote in the journal BMJ Open, and when no vaccine is available, non-pharmaceutical precautions such as respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette could help as well. 

Although social participation increases social contact and the risk of flu infection, that does not mean older adults should stop participating in their social activities, they added. 

“Social participation has been linked to healthy aging and the maintenance of functional independence in older individuals,” said Dr Yukinobu Ichida of the Doctoral Institute for Evidence Based Policy in Tokyo, Japan. Ichida, who was not involved with this study, has researched social participation and self-rated health among older adults in Japan. 

“Our findings suggest that participation in the community improves self-rated health,” Ichida said. “Investing in that community infrastructure to boost social participation may help promote healthy aging.” 

Parents of kids with food allergies often engage in behaviours that could trigger an allergic reaction in their child, a survey found.

Almost half of parents of kids with food allergies reported at least one risky behaviour, such as not carrying epinephrine autoinjectors or not reading food labels.

These behaviours are likely due to knowledge gaps and misconceptions, as well as possible financial barriers, according to Dr Julie Wang of the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City and her colleagues.

Wang’s team conducted the survey to better understand food allergy management behaviours and attitudes in their patients’ households.

”During our patient visits, we routinely counsel families about food allergy management to reduce the risk of allergic reactions. However, we noted that in some cases, our patients experienced allergic reactions that were associated with risk-taking behaviour,” Wang told Reuters Health in an e-mail.

“It is important to understand the barriers patients and their families face in managing their food allergies,” she said.

As reported in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Wang and her colleagues surveyed 100 English-speaking parents of children ages six months to 18 years, who had previously been diagnosed with food allergies and who came for follow-up visits at an urban allergy clinic.

Parents were asked about potentially risky food allergy management behaviours. For example, Wang said, ”Risky behaviours include parents giving their child the allergic food to see if the child is still allergic and not always being prepared with emergency medication, epinephrine autoinjectors, in case allergic reactions occur.”

Over 70 per cent of the kids had experienced food allergy reactions in the previous year, with almost 40 per cent reporting at least three reactions. 

About one in four children had been treated with epinephrine at some point. About one-third had been treated in an emergency department and about 5 per cent had been hospitalised in the past. 

The researchers found a correction between risky behaviours and having at least one food-induced allergic reaction during the past year. In addition, parents of kids with multiple food allergies were more likely to report risky behaviours than parents of kids with one food allergy. 

About 11 per cent of the parents gave allergy-inducing foods to their kids because they did not have time to read ingredient labels, and 7 per cent said the cost of food was a barrier to avoiding those foods. 

Nearly one in four parents said they intentionally exposed their kids to the food allergens to see if they were still allergic or to “treat” the underlying allergy. 

“This article highlights the barriers families in an urban setting face when dealing with food allergies and stresses the need for us to better educate our patients and their families about food allergies,” said Dr Rushani Saltzman, an allergist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia who was not involved with the study. 

“There were some concerning points raised in this study: 10 per cent of respondents did not know how to eliminate allergic foods from the diet and 14 per cent of respondents were confused about which foods to avoid. Furthermore, only 58 per cent of respondents reported carriage of their epinephrine autoinjectors at all times,” Saltzman said in an e-mail. 

“It is imperative that all allergists and healthcare providers who see patients with food allergies take the time with each visit to review food allergen avoidance and label reading to avoid accidental exposures to food allergens,” she said. 

In addition, families must be provided written food allergy action plans to recognise signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction, said Saltzman. 

“In-office training for families on the proper use of epinephrine autoinjectors... is equally important,” she said. 

Currently, strict food allergen avoidance remains the only proven therapy for treatment of food allergy, Saltzman said, although researchers are experimenting with ways to modify the body’s immune response to substances that trigger allergic reactions. 

“If families are concerned about a possible food allergen, then consultation with an allergist is recommended for further evaluation,” she said. 

I know it is an irritating habit, but whenever I am driving past any large billboard, I tend to read out whatever is written on it, in a loud and lucid manner. It can be the name of a shop, a road sign, an advertising slogan or even a plea to vote for a particular political party, I simply announce it clearly, as I whizz past it.

In a new and unfamiliar town, this turns out to be quite a useful undertaking because the moment I come across the same self-broadcasts repeatedly, I realise for certain that I am lost. After which I have to make the necessary amendments but when the journey is long, some of the innovative names printed on the boards inevitably become a source of amusement.

For instance, in one stretch of the highway in North India, there are several restaurants with the same name. Believe me, it is true. One is called “Lucky”, another one is “Lucky Deluxe”, the third is “New Lucky”, and the fourth one is “Pure Vegetarian Lucky”. Not to be beaten by any of these, the fifth eatery is known as “Air Conditioned Vegetarian and Non Vegetarian Lucky”. What is most astonishing is that they all have their own set of loyal clientele and are almost always full. It must be because of their lucky charm, so to speak. 

Several years ago, if you took a train to New Delhi, about a few kilometres before reaching the destination, bright graffiti would start appearing on the walls that were adjacent to the railway tracks. Most of the scrawled messages would implore you to visit a particular Marriage Bureau for arranged matrimonial alliances. Alternating with this, were hand-painted advertisements, praising the importance of one particular dermatologist who had the cure for every possible skin and sexually transmitted disease you could think of. As children, my siblings and I would rattle off the names on the list in a singsong manner, having no clue about the ailments they implied. Our hapless mother would try to shush us, but we were unstoppable and provided much merriment to the other travellers.

With the arrival of affordable airlines in my home country, all this came to a sudden halt but as more folks populated the cities from nearby rural areas in search of a better livelihood, a fresh crop of problems arose. And as usually is the case, a number of new solutions followed, the most interesting being the sudden appearance of a “quarrel therapist”. 

Quite recently, the minute I spotted a catalogue that was glued to a pillar, I began to read it aloud. In block letters it stated that if there was any conflict in one’s family, discord between the parents or children, marital tension, siblings bickering, neighbours fighting, in-laws giving one a hard time, friends backbiting or one’s boss or colleagues being unreasonable or disagreeable, in all such scenarios, one should call the printed number — urgently!

I was enthralled because there was nothing better than having all my real and perceived grievances resolved in one go.

“Don’t plan anything tomorrow,” I instructed my husband. 

 “We are going to a quarrel therapist,” I informed. 

“To resolve our quarrels,” I continued. 

“But we have none,” he protested. 

“Yes, we do,” I said. 

“No, we don’t,” he said. 

“Yes, we do,” I insisted. 

“No, we don’t,” he insisted. 

I stopped to take a deep breath.

“Let’s go quarrel with the therapist,” my spouse suggested.

LOS ANGELES — Sony’s “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” managed the rare feat this weekend of regaining the No. 1 spot in North American box offices on its seventh week out, industry figures showed on Monday.

Taking in $10.9 million for the three-day weekend — as competition with football’s Super Bowl depressed ticket sales — “Jumanji” became the first film since “Titanic”, in 1998, to win a February weekend following a nationwide release in December.

After holding top spot for three consecutive weekends, the film closed out January in second place.

The family flick, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Jack Black and Kevin Hart, follows a group of teens who find themselves transported inside the video game world of Jumanji. Its domestic cumulative take of almost $338 million makes it only the third Sony film to reach that mark.

Fox’s “Maze Runner: The Death Cure”, which won the box office last weekend, finished second with $10.5 million from 3,793 locations. The weekend’s sole opener, Helen Mirren’s horror-thriller “Winchester”, launched in third with $9.3 million at 2,480 venues, topping modest expectations which had been in the $6 million to $8 million range.

Overall domestic business was typically modest for a Super Bowl weekend with $92 million overall, according to comScore, as studios remain reluctant to open major titles during the frenzy surrounding the pro football championship. The lowest recent Super Bowl weekend came in at $86 million in 2014, when the third weekend of “Ride Along” led with $12 million.

The 2018 box office has remained close to even with last year thanks to “Jumanji”, with $1.06 billion through Sunday, down 0.5 per cent from last year at the same point.

“’Jumanji’ gets the MVP box office award for Super Bowl weekend with a stunning late run ascension to the number one spot as ‘Maze Runner’ adds to its total and ‘Winchester’ enjoys a bit of counter programming success amidst a sea of Oscar contenders over what is a typically slow moviegoing weekend,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst with comScore.

“Maze Runner: The Death Cure”, the third and final installment of the “Maze Runner” series, stars Dylan O’Brien as a young man trying to survive in a dystopian universe. It declined by 58 per cent from its $24 million opening. The film’s release was delayed for a year due to injuries that O’Brien sustained on the set in 2016.

“Winchester” centres on a real-life house in San Jose, California. built by Sarah Winchester (Mirren), the heiress to the Winchester firearms fortune, over 38 years beginning in 1886. The mansion, which stands seven stories tall, contains hundreds of rooms and is meant to be an asylum for vengeful ghosts.

Fox’s seventh weekend of “The Greatest Showman” finished fourth with $7.7 million at 2,588 sites, posting the lowest decline among the top 10 films at 18 per cent. The Hugh Jackman musical has turned in an impressive $137.5 million in 45 days.

Fox’s seventh weekend of “The Post” came in fifth with $5.2 million at 2,462 sites for a $67.2 million domestic total.

Entertainment Studios’ Western drama “Hostiles”, starring Christian Bale, followed in sixth with $5.1 million at 2,934 locations, giving it $20.8 million after two weeks in wide release.

“12 Strong” ($4.7 million), “Den of Thieves” ($4.6 million), “The Shape of Water” ($4.4 million) and “Paddington 2” ($3.3 million) closed out the top 10.