Though I predicted a much closer finish, it looks as though the family draw of the animated flick Hop helped it to a successful opening weekend, earning $38 million, well ahead of the runner-up, Source Code. The Duncan Jones thriller garnered $15 million in its debut weekend, allowing Hop to briskly run away with the box office crown. In the third position, Insidious opened to $13.5 million off just a $1 million budget.
Farther down the list, Mars Needs Moms is proving to be the flop of the year, as it was taken out of 1500 theaters. In its 4th weekend, it has only earned $20 million, $130 million short of its budget. Sucker Punch also falls into that category, with not even hitting $30 million total.
Next weekend sees a battle between two comedies, as the remake of Arthur starring Russell Brand meets up with Natalie Portman‘s backside in Your Highness. Also opening is the Joe Wright thriller Hanna and Soul Surfer. This is a tough one to call, but I will take Arthur barely ahead of Hanna, with Your Highness in third, possibly tangling with the second weekend of Hop.
Check out the top 10 (movie- weekend; total)
1. Hop– $38,118,000; $38,118,000 (debut)
2. Source Code– $15,053,000; $15,053,000 (debut)
3. Insidious– $13,496,000; $13,496,000 (debut)
4. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules– $10,200,000; $38,355,000
5. Limitless– $9,402,000; $55,604,000
6. The Lincoln Lawyer– $7,050,000; $39,637,000
7. Sucker Punch– $6,085,000; $29,876,000
8. Rango– $4,560,000; $113,783,000
9. Paul– $4,300,000; $31,899,000
10. Battle: Los Angeles– $3,500,000; $78,466,000
Which of these did you see this weekend? Arthur, Your Highness, or Hanna next weekend?