The box office results for the weekend of April 8th – 10th sees “Hop” fending off a drunk, a violent girl, an inspiring surfer, and a silly kingdom. Meanwhile, Insidious is able to accomplish something most horror flicks fail to achieve. Here are the studio estimates:
1. Hop ($21.7 million)
2. Arthur 2011 ($12.6 million)
3. Hanna ($12.3 million)
4. Soul Surfer ($11.1 million)
5. Insidious ($9.7 million)
6. Your Highness ($9.5 million)
7. Source Code ($9.0 million)
8. Limitless ($5.6 million)
9. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules ($4.8 million)
10. The Lincoln Lawyer ($4.6 million)
Analysis
Having four films reaching double figure grosses in one week will help out the mild slump the overall box office is facing this year. With the weather getting nicer around most of the country, moviegoers are starting to come out of hibernation just in time for the summer movie season.
“Insidious” may be not the highlight this weekend, but it should be. The horror piece from the unknown FilmDistrict studio managed to holdover very well from its opening a weekend. Usually a horror flick drops at least 50% in its second week. Insidious lost just 25%, which is a rarity in the genre.
“Hop” encountered the typical sophomore drop yet it was able to secure the top spot once again, thanks to the wide variety of new releases that entered theaters last Friday. Domestically, the poorly reviewed animated flick is now at $67 million. With Easter coming up, the title from Universal Pictures will easily hang around to make a profit off the $63 million production budget.
On the other hand, Warner Bros. latest property is not off to a hot start. The “Arthur” remake is on pace to possibly reach its budget of $40 million during its theatrical run. Overseas receipts will need to play a major role in padding the stats, so the forthcoming DVD and On-Demand will at least have a shot to possibly get this in the black. Although reviews are being kind to Russell Brand, his status as a leading man is going to be talked about.
The other title with a name, “Hanna,” performed much better than expected. Apparently domestic audiences either wanted fam-friendly entertainment or violence in their movie diet this past weekend. One things for sure, they didn’t want to laugh. The $30 million production budget will not be an insurmountable task to make up since the flick will not have to face any direct genre competition for a couple weeks.
Flop Alert: “Your Highness.” The projected winner performed way under expectations. Even with decent star power and an already built in niche audience – who usually eats these spoofs up; couldn’t attract people away from other options. Domestically, this epic disaster is on pace to gross just over $30 million. Too bad the budget was $50 million. Another disappointment for Universal.
Sleeper Hit: “Soul Surfer.” The true story of Bethany Hamilton opened up fairly well and should be able to make a decent chunk of cash off the $18 million budget. Much like The Blind Side, this comeback and inspirational story will hang around the top ten and perform well during the week.
Without a shadow of a doubt, “Scream 4” will claim the top spot next weekend. The latest installment in the famed trilogy will easily hold off the 3D animated “Rio.” In a limited capacity, the historical drama “The Conspirator” opens select theaters across the country. Reviews will be right here my fellow Shockers.
Report by Joe Belcastro
