Even though Paramount didn’t release their other superhero summer film on the perfect July 4th date, Captain America: The First Avenger still managed to excel at the box office. Joe Johnston‘s blockbuster brought in an estimated $65.82 million its first weekend, a touch higher than the other notch in The Avengers belt, Thor. Dropping a hefty 71.6% after its record opening, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 took $48m its second weekend, reaching a domestic total of almost $275m.
The other debut of the weekend was the romantic sex comedy Friends With Benefits, which opened to a respectable $18.5m, a bit behind its 2011 rival No Strings Attached, but an ounce ahead of Will Gluck‘s last film, Easy A. In the fourth spot, Transformers: Dark of the Moon took in $12m to bring its total to $325m, and its worldwide tally to $882.4m, the best of the franchise.
In limited release, Sarah’s Key debuted to $117k in 5 theaters, while Another Earth did $78.4k in 4 theaters. The Myth of the American Sleepover took $9.1k in a single theater, while A Little Help did $48k in 24 theaters. Beginners continues to perform well, with a total of $4.6m, while The Tree of Life just hit $11m.
Check out the top 10 below.
1. Captain America: The First Avenger – $65.82m (debut)
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 – $48m – $274.18m
3. Friends with Benefits – $18.5m (debut)
4. Transformers: Dark of the Moon – $12m – $325.78m
5. Horrible Bosses – $11.72m – $82.4m
6. Zookeeper – $8.7m – $59.2m
7. Cars 2 – $5.72m – $176.44m
8. Winnie the Pooh – $5.1m – $17.57m
9. Bad Teacher – $2.6m – $94.35m
10. Midnight in Paris – $1.89m – $44.87m
Next week is packed, as Cowboys & Aliens lifts off with Crazy, Stupid, Love. and The Smurfs. In limited release we have Attack the Block, The Devil’s Double, The Guard, Good Neighbors, The Future, Life in a Day, The Interrupters, and Point Blank. What will you see?