The ComingSoon.net Box Office Report has been updated with studio estimates for the weekend. Click here for the full box office estimates of the top 12 films and then check back on Monday for the final figures based on actual box office.
We’re probably sounding a bit like a broken record here but once again and for the fourth weekend in a row, director Gary Ross’ adaptation of The Hunger Games (Lionsgate), took on all comers and managed to stay on top of the box office with $21.5 million for the weekend, bringing its total to $337 million domestically. Before 2000, a movie remaining at #1 for four weeks wasn’t that rare, but things have changed a lot in the past 12 years, which is why it’s quite astounding for the movie to be joining the ranks of The Dark Knight and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King as one of rare movies post-2000 to have four weeks at #1. (James Cameron’s Avatar, the top-grossing movie of all time, remained #1 for seven consecutive weeks, just for comparison.)
After setting a bunch of records last month, the Suzanne Collins adaptation crossed the $500 million mark globally this weekend, putting it firmly into the Top 100 highest-grossing movies of all time after just one month.
Despite The Hunger Games continued success globally, it was all about Peter Berg’s Battleship (Universal Pictures) this weekend, which daringly opened in 26 international territories over a month before its North American debut, and it managed to take the top spot in 20 of them as it raked in an estimated $58 million despite negative reviews.
The Farrelly Brothers’ first comedy in many years, their version of The Three Stooges, opened in second place with an estimated $17.1 million in 3,477 theaters, averaging roughly $5,000 per location.
After sitting on the shelf for many years, Drew Goddard’s horror-comedy The Cabin in the Woods (Lionsgate), produced and co-written by Joss Whedon and co-starring Chris (Thor) Hemsworth, opened in third place with an estimated $14.9 million in 2,811 theaters.
The 3D rerelease of James Cameron’s blockbuster hit Titanic in 3D, a movie which currently holds the record for most consecutive weeks at #1 with 15 over the course of 1997 and 1998, dropped to fourth place with an additional $11.6 million. The rerelease has grossed $44.4 million in just twelve days.
The R-rated comedy sequel American Reunion took fifth place with $10.7 million, down 50% from its opening weekend, with a rough gross of $40 million. Internationally, where the movie is dubbed American Pie: Reunion, it pulled in another $11.8 million in 34 territories, including Argentina and Peru, where it was #1 for the weekend.
Tarsem Singh’s Snow White movie Mirror Mirror (Relativity Media), starring Julia Roberts, and the action sequel Wrath of the Titans (Warner Bros.), both brought in roughly $7 million in their respective third weekends. Mirror Mirror came out just ahead for sixth place, but Wrath has grossed $71 million to its $49.5 million.
The R-rated comedy 21 Jump Street (Sony), starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, continues to be a strong spring hit, adding another $6.8 million to its gross for eighth place, having the smallest drop-off from Easter weekend, being down just 32% with a gross of $120 million to date.
The Luc Besson-produced action sci-fi flick Lockout (FilmDistrict), starring Guy Pearce and Maggie Grace, tanked with just $6.3 million in 2,308 theaters, less than $3,000 per site, to open in ninth place behind many of the returning movies.
Universal Pictures’ animated hit Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, which crossed the $200 million mark this past week, took tenth place with $3 million to bring its total to $204.5 million.
The top 10 grossed an estimated $106 million down 5% from last year when the animated Rio (20th Century Fox) topped the box office with $39 million, followed by Wes Craven’s Scream 4 (Dimension Films), which opened with second place with $18.7 million.
Expanding nationwide into 881 theaters, the Indonesian action flick The Raid: Redemption (Sony Pictures Classics) brought in an additional million to bring its total to $2.5 million, making it the highest-grossing Indonesian movie domestically. (Though, it probably achieved that honor on its opening weekend.)
Click here for the full box office results of the top 12 films.
