I met a guy last week who was really keen on seeing HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON. No, it was not the 3D element that was calling to him, as it did to millions of people this weekend. No, he just really digs dragons. With the positive reviews, both from critics and audiences alike for this Dreamworks animation, I'm pretty sure he won't be the only one digging on dragons for very long.
Between HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON and ALICE IN WONDERLAND following in second place, 3D pictures continue to command the dollar of the movie going audience. There isn't enough room for three 3D titles in the Top 10 this weekend though. The biggest box office success of all time, AVATAR, exits the Top 10 for the first time in its 15 weeks of release. Its disappearance from the public consciousness will only be temporary though as the film will be made available to purchase within the next month.
As HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON basks in the warm, soothing bubbles of its own great success - one of the Top 10 March debuts in history - HOT TUB TIME MACHINE had to wait in line to get in. The buzz for this time travel comedy has been boiling over - I promise, I'll stop - in recent weeks and most were expecting a surprisingly large gross this weekend .. which wouldn't really make it a surprise, mind you. The insider buzz didn't spread though and this Steve Pink film had to settle for third place.
A few Top 10 titles managed solid holds this week, suggesting repeat business and good word of mouth later in the run. I tried to warn you guys but yet THE BOUNTY HUNTER managed a reasonable drop of only 40% this weekend. If you missed it last weekend, you really should have just let it go. I want to see a much steeper decline next week, alright? Meanwhile, SHUTTER ISLAND and SHE'S OUT OF MY LEAGUE managed even better declines of less than 40%.
Below the Top 10, Noah Baumbach's GREENBERG, starring Ben Stiller, added 178 screens for a grand total of 181, and saw an increase of nearly 800%. It pulled in a solid average of just under $6K and has made $1.2 million in two limited weeks. On less screens, it managed to pull in more than Canadian filmmaker, Atom Egoyan's latest thriller, CHLOE. The Toronto-based love triangle debuted in 13th place this week, with a total of just over $1 million on 350 screens. Some of that money is mine as I saw the film on Friday. The Black Sheep review is coming in the next week.
NEXT WEEK: Next Saturday is my birthday. Every year on my birthday weekend, there is nothing but garbage released in theatres .. or at least what I presume to be garbage or movies that completely disinterest me. This year is no different whatsoever. On Wednesday, hoping to score some early Easter money, the Miley Cyrus movie, THE LAST SONG, opens on 2500 screens. The Tyler Perry sequel, WHY DID I GET MARRIED TOO? opens on 2000 screens on Friday. There are a few indie sprinklings here and there but the big guy in town with be CLASH OF THE TITANS, roaring on to 3600 screens, with a bunch of them being 3D. Of those three, which do you think I have no interest in and which do you think I think look like garbage? Happy birthday to me, indeed.
SOURCE: BOX OFFICE MOJO