Kevin Hart's 'The Upside' hits No. 1 at the box office despite Oscars controversy

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Should Kevin Hart be given a second chance to host the Oscars?

New speculation the comedian may reconsider the awards show gig after Ellen DeGeneres jumps to his defense.

Despite a slew of recent controversy involving past comments that critics have called homophobic and cost the comedian his Oscars-hosting gig, Kevin Hart has a new No. 1 movie in “The Upside.”

The film, which co-stars former “Breaking Bad” star Bryan Cranston, opened to a strong $19.6 million performance in ticket sales, unseating the major blockbuster “Aquaman,” which held a three-week stint at the top of the North American box office.

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"The Upside" opened on the heels of several weeks of Oscar drama surrounding Hart. The comedian last month withdrew from hosting the Academy Award, just days after being named emcee, when he initially refused to apologize for years-old homophobic tweets.

On the publicity trail for "The Upside," Hart repeatedly dismissed the Oscar controversy, saying he was "over it," while flirting with the possibility of returning as Oscar host — something for which talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres, in particular, advocated.

Whether all that attention helped raise the profile of "The Upside," a remake of the 2012 French comedy "The Intouchables," was difficult to extrapolate, though it surely didn't hurt. Ticket sales were almost twice industry forecasts. The film received poor reviews (40 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and was slammed by some critics for trading on the kind of gay panic humor that Hart was forced to apologize for.

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Hart’s handling of the controversy that’s surrounding him has been called into question several times in recent weeks. Despite claiming he’d addressed the homophobic comments in the past, fans weren’t sure what he was addressing. Since then, he’s posted a full statement on social media explaining his actions.

Hart wrote in a recent Instagram post: “When did we get to the point where we forgot that we all learn, then we all have the ability to grow and with that growth comes a wealth of knowledge. You can’t change without a understanding of what GROWTH means. Please grasp this and use it in 2019.”

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It’s unclear if the box office numbers will last for “The Upside.” Next week will see the release of M. Night Shyamalan's "Glass," which is expected to open with $50-70 million. Advance reviews, however, have been poor, ranking 38 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.