Even three diverse newcomers were unable to topple the box office juggernaut that is The Hunger Games. The action flick easily took the number one spot for a fourth week – the first film since Avatar to do so.
Dipping by only a third from last weekend, The Hunger Games added another $21.5 million to its total. The sci-fi adaptation is experiencing fantastic legs considering its mammoth opening, with its North American cume now sitting at a stunning $337.1 million. Currently, The Hunger Games has a very real chance of beating out the final installment in the “Harry Potter” saga – a feat never fathomed before now.
With another stellar weekend under its belt, Katniss and pals have eclipsed Spider-Man 3 on the all-time domestic chart at number 22, and should surpass Finding Nemo on Monday. Worldwide, the smash has done just that to the $500-million mark, upping its total to $531.1 million.
Yucking it up to strong-than-expected returns, modern revamp The Three Stooges comfortably took second with $17.1 million. The slapstick update scored reviews that were surprisingly not scathing, carried a PG rating and went ultra-wide in almost 3,500 theaters. These were all factors that made “Stooges” an easy pick with younger boys and should play decently to that audience in coming weeks.
The Top 10
1. The Hunger Games - $21.5M (weekend)…$337.1M (gross)
Debuting well, but failing to break out despite glowing reviews, horror satire The Cabin in the Woods sliced out a position in third with a $14.9-million debut. This is down on comparable, traditional slasher flicks, but is the seventh best for a horror comedy, a genre that's always a tough sell. It will be interesting to see if this meta-parody will hold up better because of its uniqueness, or tumble among its target demographic due to the realization this is not your typical “dead teenager” movie.
All the way down in ninth is futuristic action flick Lockout, which landed itself in solitary with a weekend of $6.3 million. A lack of starpower, all-too-familiar premise and plenty of other choices meant that only those with a burning interest turned out.
Although the North American box office remains strong, the real news this weekend came from overseas beginning with Titanic 3D, which shocked everyone with a colossal $88.2-million weekend. The bulk comes from a gargantuan $58 million in China, which is more than the original release grossed in its entire run. The re-release has now allowed the epic to cruise past the $2-billion milestone worldwide.
Ahead of its May 18 release, mega-budgeted board game adaptation Battleship assaulted 26 territories and sailed off with $58 million. The blockbuster adds important countries China and Russia next weekend (among others) and should see a strong international gross before it lands stateside.
Next weekend, Nicolas Sparks and Zach Efron will try and tug at the heartstrings in weepy The Lucky One which will land in 3,000 theaters. In far more limited releases, adaptation Think Like a Man will hit 1,800 and Disney-doc Chimpanzee will swing into 1,500. Finally, we can expect a new victor at the box office.
