Black Sheep @ The Box Office

Not to take away from the great and rare feat that HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON accomplished this weekend by returning to the number one spot in its fifth week of release but what a boring weekend at the box office it is regardless.  It hardly even seems worth reporting.  You know what?  I'm not really going to report that much so there! Let's see .. we know the dragon movie is back at number one; what else? Jennifer Lopez tried and failed to revive her film career with THE BACK-UP PLAN opening to disappointing results in second.  Good thing she has that dying singing career as a back-up plan of her own. THE LOSERS lived up to their name, landing hard in fourth place.  Disney Nature's OCEANS had the highest per screen average of all the Top 10 but also opened about $3 million lower than EARTH did last year.  Still, this is the third best opening for a documentary all the same.  Below the Top 10, Foreign Language Oscar winner, THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES continued to perform well, improving over 125% after adding another 23 screens to its run.  There .. that's all you get.

NEXT WEEK: There is absolutely nothing coming out next week that I know of that I am excited about seeing but you might be happy to see A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET slash its way back onto 3150+ screens.  If you prefer your nightmares a little furrier, there is always Brendan Fraser in FURRY VENGEANCE playing on 2800+ screens.  If that doesn't keep you awake at night, I don't know what will.

Source: BOX OFFICE MOJO

Black Sheep @ The Box Office

Well, I don't know if anyone saw that coming.  Just three weeks after HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON debuted to what was being called a disappointing result at number one, the Dreamworks 3D adventure rises above the much hyped KICK-ASS to reclaim the top spot and throw it in the faces of all those  losers who sold their Dreamworks Animation stock prematurely.

Despite mostly glowing reviews and great internet buzz, this week's expected champion, KICK-ASS,  came in about $10 million below most predictions and had to settle for a humbling second place finish.  An R-rating for a teen film is never going to be helpful but the way folks were hyping this one, it seemed as though the subject matter would have crossed past the youth market.  I guess pretending to be superheroes is not the same as actually being one when it comes to box office dollars.  It could still trade places with HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON when the final numbers come in Monday given the close finish but I would say the sequel is now in serious question.

The Steve Carrell/Tina Fey machine, DATE NIGHT, held up very well in its second week, trailing off by only 31%.  The $17.3 million finish was enough to nab the third spot from another comedy vehicle, DEATH AT A FUNERAL.  The Neil LaBute remake of the Frank Oz 2007 film managed the strongest per screen average of any film in the Top 10, including six of my dollars from this morning.  Good word of mouth could carry the film to a respectable end and it could still end up debuting in third if DATE NIGHT overestimates like it did last weekend.

As you already know considering I reviewed it yesterday, I also saw THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO this weekend in its fifth week of expansion, but those numbers were unfortunately not reported.  Meanwhile, another film I caught last week and will be reviewing this week, THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES, this year's Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film, debuted to strong results on just 10 screens.  The Spanish detective thriller earned a $17.6K average and will be expanding to more major markets next weekend.

NEXT WEEK: What looks like an aptly named film, THE LOSERS, will be hitting 2950 screens. Jennifer Lopez will try to woo back an audience for her flailing film career on 3000 screens in THE BACKUP PLAN. And Disney tries to do some good in the hood known as Earth with their second nature documentary, OCEANS, opening on 1200 screens on Thursday. Don't forget that if you see OCEANS in the first week, Disney will make a donation to save the Earth's coral reefs.

Source: BOX OFFICE MOJO

Black Sheep @ The Box Office

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