‘Monsters University’ Wins Box Office Scare-Off with ‘World War Z’

One of the biggest moviegoing weekends of the year turned into yet another victory parade for the folks at Pixar, as the new animated prequel “Monsters University” brought in an estimated $82 million in its debut to win the box office crown.

Not that it was easy, as brad Pitt and “World War Z” put up a bigger fight than expected: The much debated zombie thriller, which had been expected to top out around $50 million, instead brought in $66 million for a strong second place debut.

Add in another nice haul for returning champion “Man of Steel” — which slipped to third place despite earning an additional $41.2 million — and you have a weekend that was up 52% compared to the same frame last year thanks to a very strong lineup of new releases.

In fact, the main problem facing movies this summer may be the unusually tough competition, as movies have been opening huge only to be pushed aside by the next big thing. “Star Trek Into Darkness” and “Fast & Furious 6,” for example, both debuted to massive initial numbers, but while their respective totals of $216.7 million and $228.4 million certainly qualify them as solid hits, neither appears likely now to approach mega-blockbuster status. Only “Iron Man 3? has really broken out of the pack, topping the $400 million mark domestically last week.

That trend could mean that the party is short lived for all three of this weekend’s top performers, as the next ten days will see the debut of several major releases including “Despicable Me 2,” “The Lone Ranger,” “White House Down” and “The Heat.” So while the summer is sizzling at the box office, the heat is being spread around.

Enjoy your time at the top, Pixar. It might be shorter than usual this time around.

Here’s a look at the box office top ten, courtesy of Hollywood.com:

1. “Monsters University” – $82m (our review)
2. “World War Z” – $66m (our review)
3. “Man of Steel” – $41.2m (our review)
4. “This Is The End” – $13m (our review)
5. “Now You See Me” – $7.9m (our review)
6. “Fast & Furious 6? – $4.7m (our review)
7. “The Internship” – $3.4m (our review)
8. “The Purge” – $3.4m (our review)
9. “Star Trek Into Darkness” – $3m (our review)
10. “Iron Man 3? – $2.2m (our review)

Categories: News

Tags: Box office, Man of Steel, Man of Steel Box Office, Monsters University, Monsters University Box Office, World war z, World War Z Box Office

Box Office Beatdown: Vin Diesel Is Too ‘Fast & Furious’ For Will Smith

Objects in motion tend to stay in motion. And since perhaps no movie understands and utilizes motion quite as well as “Fast & Furious 6,” it’s only natural that Vin Diesel’s latest supercharged epic maintained its momentum and dominated the box office for the second weekend in a row.

Yes, according to Hollywood.com, “Fast & Furious 6? earned an estimated $34.5 million in its second weekend of release, bringing its domestic total to an impressive $169.8 million.

That was more than enough to beat out the weekend’s two big new releases, “After Earth” and “Now You See Me.” Which was no real surprise considering the positive buzz surrounding “Fast & Furious 6.” What was a surprise, though, is the fact that “Now You See Me,” which features Jesse Eisenberg as the head of a group of benevolent illusionists, managed to beat out Will Smith’s sci-fi epic “After Earth” for second place by the score of $28 million to $27 million.

That has to sting not just for Smith and his son, co-star Jaden Smith, but even more for director M. Night Shyamalan, who was hoping to make a comeback after a series of flops but instead now finds himself in the position of having potentially sunk Smith, who previously was about the surest thing the box office had going. It’s a potentially fatal blow to Shyamalan’s once promising career, but the one time wonderkind may still have hope courtesy of the international box office.

“After Earth” isn’t the only major release hoping to be saved by foreign money, either. Thanks to the current glut of blockbusters, “The Hangover Part III,” which was once expected to carry the day, slipped all the way to sixth place in its second week of release. But the comedy has opened like gangbusters overseas, already raking in $110.7 million so far, giving studio execs hope that the disappointing trilogy capper may even surpass the foreign performance of “The Hangover Part II,” which earned $332 million internationally two years ago.

For American audiences, though, it’s still all about Diesel and company. And it’s possible “Fast & Furious 6? may hold on to the top spot for a third weekend, as the only real competition hitting theaters this week is the Vince Vaughn/Owen Wilson buddy comedy “The Internship.”

Here’s a look at the full top ten, courtesy of Hollywood.com:

1. “Fast & Furious 6? – $34.5m (our review)
2. “Now You See Me” – $28m (our review)
3. “After Earth” – $27m (our review)
4. (tie) “Epic” – $16.4m (our review)
4. (tie) “Star Trek Into Darkness” – $16.4m (our review)
6. “The Hangover Part III” – $15.9m (our review)
7. “Iron Man 3? – $8m (our review)
8. “The Great Gatsby” – $6.3m (our review)
9. “Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani” – $1.6m
10. “Mud” – $1.2m (our review)

Categories: News

Tags: After Earth, Box office, Fast and Furious 6, Jesse eisenberg, Now You See Me, Vin diesel, Will smith

‘Oblivion’ Obliterates the Box Office

For movie fans there was pretty much only one game in town this weekend and as a result, it was an easy win for Tom Cruise’s new sci-fi epic “Oblivion,” which earned an estimated $38.2 million to capture the box office crown.

That’s a solid number both for Cruise, who continues to prove his action hero credentials even at age 50, and for director Joseph Kosinski, whose only previous feature film, “TRON: Legacy,” brought in similar numbers ($44 million) over its opening weekend back in 2010.

Of course, “Oblivion” benefited from the fact that there was basically no competition. Fearful of being stomped by the Cruise machine, studios moved their tentpoles to other dates, leaving “Oblivion” as the only wide release of the weekend. But hey, a win by default is still a win, right?

The lack of new releases was also good news for returning films, like last weekend’s champion “42,” which took in a strong $18 million to push its ten day total to $54 million. “The Croods” also hung on to third place in its fifth week of release with $9.5 million, while Bradley Cooper and Ryan Gosling’s broodfest “The Place Beyond the Pines” expanded into wider release, moving into sixth place with $4.7 million.

It will be interesting to see whether next week’s big new release, Mark Wahlberg’s “Pain & Gain,” can knock off “Oblivion.” Either way, though, fans and studios alike seem to just be marking time until the summer really begins with “Iron Man 3? in two weeks.

And that’s totally cool with Tom Cruise.

Here’s a look at this weekend’s full top ten, courtesy of Hollywood.com:

1. “Oblivion” – $38.2m (our review)
2. “42? – $18m (our review)
3. “The Croods” – $9.5m (our review)
4. “Scary Movie 5? – $6.3m (our review)
5. “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” – $5.8m
6. “The Place Beyond the Pines” – $4.7m (our review)
7. “Olympus Has Fallen” – $4.5m (our review)
8. “Evil Dead” – $4.1m (our review)
9. “Jurassic Park 3D” – $4m (our review)
10. “Oz the Great and Powerful” – $3m (our review)

Categories: News

Tags: Box office, Oblivion, Tom cruise

‘Oz’ Steals ‘Burt Wonderstone’s’ Box Office Magic

It was expected to be the biggest wizard’s duel to grace the box office since Harry battled Voldemort, but it turned out that “Burt Wonderstone” was nothing more than an expensive illusion, as the new Steve Carell comedy was completely crushed by returning champ “Oz the Great and Powerful” this weekend.

How bad was it? “Burt Wonderstone,” which cost an estimated $32 million and which co-stars one of the biggest box office comedy draws of all time in Jim Carrey, bombed out with just $10.3 million despite being boosted by a Thursday night pre-release and a massive rollout to over 3,100 screens. Even worse, “Burt Wonderstone” scored just a C+ Cinemascore with viewers while also racking up a brutal 25% fresh rating on Rottentomatoes.

Meanwhile, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain, because he’s busy laughing all the way to the bank. Thanks in part to “Burt Wonderstone’s” epic collapse, returning champion “Oz the Great and Powerful” cruised to its second straight box office win, collecting another $42.2 million to push its 10-day total to $145 million domestically and $281.8 million worldwide.

Even the surprise success of Halle Berry’s kidnapping thriller “The Call” couldn’t put a dent in “Oz the great and Powerful.” But Berry appears to have a bona fide hit on her hands, as strong word of mouth pushed the film to an estimated $17.1 million opening, which reportedly is already enough for the low budget film to turn a profit.

Next week, of course, “Oz the Great and Powerful” will face some legitimate competition at the box office, as the DreamWorks animated epic “The Croods” opens alongside the Gerard Butler action piece “Olympus Has Fallen” and Tina Fey’s new romcom “Admission.” But for now, magic rules Hollywood — and “Oz” is the greatest and most powerful wizard around.

Here’s a look at the full box office top ten, courtesy of Hollywood.com:

1. “Oz the Great and Powerful” – $42.2m (our review)
2. “The Call” – $17.1m (our review)
3. “Burt Wonderstone” – $10.3m (our review)
4. “Jack the Giant Slayer” – $6.2m (our review)
5. “Identity Thief” – $4.5m (our review)
6. “Snitch” – $3.5m (our review)
7. “21 and Over” – $2.6m (our review)
8. “Silver Linings Playbook” – $2.6m (our review)
9. “Safe Haven” – $2.5m (our review)
10. “Escape from Planet Earth” – $2.3m (our review)

Categories: News

Tags: Box office, Oz: The Great and Powerful, The Call, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

‘Oz’ Is Both Great and Powerful at the Box Office

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. He’s just counting his money.

Yes, as expected, “Oz the Great and Powerful” completely destroyed the box office this weekend, racking up an impressive $80.3 million domestically for the biggest release of the year as well as the third biggest March release in film history.  Only last year’s “The Hunger Games” ($152.5 million) and 2010's “Alice in Wonderland” ($116.1 million) did better.

The success of “Alice in Wonderland,” of course, prompted Disney to begin production on “Oz the Great and Powerful,” with the studio releasing the film on the same weekend in hopes of replicating “Alice in Wonderland’s” monumental $1 billion final take.

But while those kind of numbers seem unlikely — “Oz the Great and Powerful” earned an additional $69.9 million overseas for a total of $150.2 million worldwide, while “Alice in Wonderland” took in $210.1 million worldwide in its opening frame — “Oz the Great and Powerful” does seem set to more than recoup Disney’s estimated $215 million investment.

Betting that kind of money on a relatively unproven star like James Franco was a pretty big risk. But with work already well underway on a sequel (or midquel, or… whatever), it looks like this is one gamble that is going to pay off big time.

The same can’t be said for anything else at the box office this weekend, however. “Jack the Giant Slayer” dropped to second place in its second weekend, earning just $10 million. That brings its domestic total to only $43.8 million so far, putting it on track to become one of the biggest financial disasters in recent memory. And new release “Dead Man Down” turned out to have a strangely prophetic title, as the Colin Farrell revenge flick opened to just $5.4 million.

Looks like this weekend, “Oz the Great and Powerful” used up all the fairy tale endings.

Here’s a look at the full box office chart, courtesy of Hollywood.com:

1. “Oz the Great and Powerful” – $80.3m (our review)
2. “Jack the Giant Slayer” – $10m (our review)
3. “Identity Thief” – $6.3m (our review)
4. “Dead Man Down” – $5.4m (our review)
5. “Snitch” – $5.1m (our review)
6. “21 and Over” – $5.1m (our review)
7. “Safe Haven” – $3.8m (our review)
8. “Silver Linings Playbook” – $3.7m (our review)
9. “Escape From Planet Earth” – $3.2m (our review)
10. “The Last Exorcism Part II” – $3.1m (our review)

Categories: News

Tags: Box office, Oz: The Great and Powerful

Box Office Fiasco: Everything Bombs

Hollywood spent last weekend patting itself on the back at the Academy Awards, but it’s a very different story this weekend, as every single new release completely bombed. You know what they say: Pride goeth before the fall.

Leading the charge straight down the drain was, of course, Bryan Singer’s ill-advised CGI fantasia “Jack the Giant Slayer,” which opened with $28 million to take the title of first loser. That doesn’t sound too bad until you consider the fact that the movie cost north of $200 million. To put things in perspective, “John Carter,” which opened almost exactly one year ago and is considered one of the biggest flops in film history, earned $30 million in its first weekend. So that’s not good.

And the news wasn’t any better for the weekend’s other two new wide releases. “21 and Over,” a blatant ripoff of “The Hangover” written by, well, the guys who wrote “The Hangover,” crashed and burned to the tune of just $9 million, good for third place. And the horror sequel “The Last Exorcism Part II” brought in only $8 million to land in fourth place, though at least it didn’t cost much to make either.

Pretty much the only good news at the box office this weekend came from the Melissa McCarthy comedy “Identity Thief,” which exploited its weak competition to drag in another $9.7 million. That brings it’s total to $107.5 million to date, making it the first film of 2013 to break the $100 million mark.

Of course, box office salvation is on the horizon, as the presumed blockbuster “Oz the Great and Powerful” is set to open in theaters next weekend. Will it be enough to turn around Hollywood’s fortunes? One thing’s for sure: It certainly couldn’t do any worse.

Here’s a look at this weekend’s full box office top ten, courtesy of Hollywood.com:

1. “Jack the Giant Slayer” – $28m (our review)
2. “Identity Thief” – $9.7m (our review)
3. “21 and Over” – $9m (our review)
4. “The Last Exorcism Part II” – $8m (our review)
5. “Snitch” – $7.7m (our review)
6. “Escape From Planet Earth” – $6.7m (our review)
7. “Safe Haven” – $6.3m (our review)
8. “Silver Linings Playbook” – $5.9m (our review)
9. “A Good Day to Die Hard” – $4.5m (our review)
10. “Dark Skies” – $3.6m (our review)

Categories: News

Tags: 21 and Over, Box office, Jack the Giant Slayer

‘Warm Bodies’ Heats Up the Box Office

As far as zombie apocalyses go, “Warm Bodies” has proven to be a surprisingly pleasant one, as the new undead romcom easily beat out the competition this week to take the top spot at the box office, earning an estimated $20 million over its opening weekend.

That’s the good news. The bad news? Everything else, as the rest of the box office was pretty much in the tank, due in no small part to the failure of the weekend’s other major new release, Sylvester Stallone’s “Bullet to the Head.” That effort proved to be a non-starter, racking up a dismal $4.5 million and further delaying the inevitable career resurgence of Christian Slater.

Of course, every dark cloud has a silver lining, and in this case its the performance of “Silver Linings Playbook,” which stayed strong with $8.1 million for third place. The award season favorite was joined by fellow critical darlings “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Django Unchained,” “Les Miserables” and “Lincoln” in the top ten, each of which has taken advantage of January’s exceptionally poor lineup of new films in putting together long and impressive box office runs.

That could finally change next weekend, as the Melissa McCarthy/Jason Bateman buddy comedy “Identity Thief” and Steven Soderbergh’s thriller “Side Effects” are both set to debut. But for now, the box office looks pretty dead.

And that means it’s feeding time for zombies.

Here’s a look at the full box office top ten, courtesy of Hollywood.com:

1. “Warm Bodies” – $20m (our review)
2. “Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters” – $9.2m
3. “Silver Linings Playbook” – $8.1m (our review)
4. “Mama” – $6.7m (our review)
5. “Zero Dark Thirty” – $5.3m (our review)
6. “Bullet to the Head” – $4.5m (our review)
7. “Parker” – $3.2m (our review)
8. “Django Unchained” – $3m (our review)
9. “Les Misérables” – $2.4m (our review)
10. “Lincoln” – $2.4m (our review)

Categories: News

Tags: Box office

Box Office Report: ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ Number One With a Bullet

“Zero Dark Thirty” director Kathryn Bigelow may have been shockingly snubbed by the Academy Awards when they released their nominations last week, but now she’s getting the last laugh as her acclaimed and controversial film about the hunt for Osama bin Laden dominated the box office with a strong $24 million opening weekend.

That was more than enough to make the ”Zero Dark Thirty” opening Bigelow’s biggest ever, which is saying something considering she has won both Best Director and Best Picture (for “The Hurt Locker”) and has cult classics like “Point Break” on her resume.

The good news for Bigelow came at a price, namely bad news for “Gangster Squad,” which opened in third place with a disappointing $16.7 million. Despite an all-star cast that includes Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone and Josh Brolin, audiences seemed uninterested in the period action piece about cops fighting gangsters; even solid word of mouth, as shown by the film’s solid B+ Cinemascore, wasn’t enough to provide a bump.

The Marlon Wayans spoof “A Haunted House,” on the other hand, did surpringly well, landing in second place with a robust $18.8 million. The only new comedy on the market, “A Haunted House” proved to be a smart bit of counter-programming for moviegoers uninterested in good movies.

For everyone else, the Oscar nominations provided a significant bump; besides the huge opening for “Zero Dark Thirty,” a slew of other nominees received major upswings in viewership, with “Silver Linings Playbook” (up 57% on Thursday following the announcements) ”Lincoln” (up 43%) and “Life of Pi” (up 29%) all benefiting.

Next week should be interesting, with major new releases “The Last Stand,” “Broken City” and “Mama” competing against an array of returning films that will have received a push from tonight’s Golden Globes. For now, though, here’s the complete box office from this weekend, courtesy of Hollywood.com:

1. “Zero Dark Thirty” – $24 (our review)
2. “A Haunted House” – $18.8 (our review)
3. “Gangster Squad” – $16.7 (our review)
4. “Django Unchained” – $11.1m (our review)
5. “Les Misérables” – $10.1m (our review)
6. “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” – $9.1m (our review)
7. “Lincoln” – $6.3m (our review)
8. “Parental Guidance” – $6.1 m (our review)
9. “Texas Chainsaw 3D” – $5.1m (our review)
10. “Silver Linings Playbook” – $5m (our review)

Categories: News

Tags: box office, Gangster Squad, Zero Dark Thirty, Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, Kathryn Bigelow, Jessica Chastain, A Haunted House

‘The Hobbit’ Ekes Out Holiday Box Office Win

It was a seesaw battle for the holiday box office title this weekend, as new Christmas releases “Les Misérables” and “Django Unchained” duked it out with returning champion  “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” over the past few days. But now that the dust has settled we can officially declare a winner: “The Hobbit.”

Yes, coming in with an estimated $32.9 million, “The Hobbit” topped the box office for the third weekend in a row, just beating out “Django Unchained” with $30.7 million and “Les Misérables” with $28 million.

Of course, the figures were skewed by the fact that “Les Misérables” in particular burned off much of its pent-up viewer demand during the week; Tom Hooper’s adaptation of the classic Broadway musical easily won the box office on both Tuesday and Wednesday, earning an impressive $18.1 million on Christmas day alone.

Still, once all was said and done, it was “The Hobbit” coming out on top again, thanks in large part to an amazingly strong hold, as Peter Jackson’s latest fantasy epic was down only 11% from last weekend’s $36.9 million. And with only one major new release this coming Friday — the niche horror remake “Texas Chainsaw 3D” — it looks as though “The Hobbit,” “Les Misérables” and “Django Unchained” will likely be battling it out for first place again next weekend.

Oh, and one other note on this week’s box office: With $4.6 million domestically this weekend, good for 11th place on the charts, “Skyfall” became the first James Bond film to break the $1 billion mark worldwide. Not a bad way to celebrate your 50th anniversary.

Here’s a look at the full weekend box office courtesy of Hollywood.com:

1. “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” – $32.9m (our review)
2. “Django Unchained” – $30.7m (our review)
3. “Les Misérables” – $28m (our review)
4. “Parental Guidance” – $14.8m (our review)
5. “Jack Reacher” – $14.0m
6. “This Is 40? – $13.2m (our review)
7. “Lincoln” – $7.5m (our review)
8. “The Guilt Trip” – $6.7m
9. “Monsters Inc. 3D” – $6.4m
10. “Rise of the Guardians” – $4.9m

Categories: News

Tags: box office, Les Miserables, Django Unchained, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Quentin Tarantino, Peter Jackson, Parental Guidance, Jack Reacher

‘The Hobbit’ Makes $13 Million at Midnight, Poised to Set December Box Office Record

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” has only been in theaters for a few hours now, but forecasts are already predicting that the latest epic from Peter Jackson will set a new box office record for a December release.

Thanks to the $13 million “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” made in its midnight release last evening, Box Office Mojo is reporting that the film is well on its way to breaking the mark currently held by “I Am Legend.” By comparison, “I Am Legend” brought in $77.2 million in its opening weekend back in 2007, only $1.7 million of which came from its midnight release.

Of course, “The Hobbit’s” earning potential is somewhat curtailed by its 169 minute run time, which limits the number of showings each theater can present. Still, “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” should benefit enough from both 3D premiums and inflation to pass “I Am Legend” on the charts, presuming mediocre word of mouth doesn’t keep fans away.

Jackson, of course, is no stranger to December blockbusters; all three installments of “The Lord of the Rings” debuted in December, with 2003's “Return of the King” earning $72.6 million in its first weekend. That number, however, was reduced somewhat thanks to a Wednesday release. His 2005 epic “King Kong,” which like ‘The Hobbit” opening on December 14, debuted with $50.1 million.

“The Hobbit” has already set a December debut record by premiering on 4,045 screens nationwide.

Categories: News

Tags: box office, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Peter Jackson

‘The Hobbit:’ One Film to Rule The Box Office

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” may not be entirely living up to fan expectations, but it is more than living up to box office expectations, as the first installment in Peter Jackson’s latest fantasy trilogy debuted with a truly epic $84.8 million.

That amount easily tops the previous record for a December debut, which had been held by 2007's “I Am Legend.” It also beat out the box office debuts of all three installments of “The Lord of the Rings,” which, like “The Hobbit,” was adapted by Jackson from J.R.R. Tolkien’s series of Middle-Earth novels.

And the news was equally good for “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” overseas; through Friday, the film had taken in over $57 million internationally, leading industry insiders to speculate that the film could cross $200 million worldwide by the end of the weekend.

The dominance of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” did mean that there was little meat left on the bone for the rest of Hollywood. With no other major new releases this weekend — who would be foolish enough to open their film opposite “The Hobbit?” — returning favorites “Skyfall” and “Lincoln” stayed strong. “Lincoln” crossed the $100 million mark domestically, while “Skyfall” inched closer to the $1 billion mark worldwide. And “Silver Linings Playbook” crept back into the top ten thanks to strong buzz from its many award season nominations.

Here’s a full list of this weekend’s top ten, courtesy of Hollywood.com:

1. “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” – $84.8m (our review)
2. “Rise of the Guardians” – $7.4m
3. “Lincoln” – $7.2m (our review)
4. “Skyfall” – $7m (our review)
5. “Life of Pi” – $5.4m (our review)
6. “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2? – $5.2m (our review)
7. “Wreck-It Ralph” – $3.3m (our review)
8. “Playing for Keeps” – $3.2m (our review)
9. “Red Dawn” – $2.4m (our review)
10.“Silver Linings Playbook” – $2.1m (our review)

Categories: News

Tags: box office, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Peter Jackson

Box Office: Cars 2 Speeds to the Top

Cars 2 opened with an estimated $68 million, easily enough to win the weekend, and the fourth-strongest opening weekend of 2011. The other new wide release, Bad Teacher, also opened strong, with an estimated $31 million on a smallish production budget.

Here’s the complete top five, courtesy of BoxOfficeMojo.

1. Cars 2 $68,000,000
2. Bad Teacher $31,000,000
3. Green Lantern $18,350,000
4. Super 8 $12,100,000
5. Mr. Popper’s Penguins $10,300,000

In limited release action, Midnight in Paris again made the top 10 with less than a thousand theaters. Tree of Life also upped its worldwide take to $21 million, finishing in 12th place for the weekend.

Next weekend, Transformers: Dark of the Moon will almost certainly take the crown, though there’s a legitimate romantic comedy race as Larry Crowne faces off against Monte Carlo.

Box Office: Green Lantern Wins Weekend

Green Lantern opened with an estimated $52 million, enough to win the weekend, though the downward spiral from Friday to Sunday indicates a film on the decline, and it couldn’t match the openings of Thor or X-Men: First Class. Still, it fared better than the other wide release, Mr. Popper’s Penguins, which was bettered by Super 8‘s sophomore weekend.

Here’s the complete top five, courtesy of BoxOfficeMojo.

1. Green Lantern $52,685,000
2. Super 8 $21,250,000
3. Mr. Popper’s Penguins $18,200,000
4. X-Men: First Class $11,500,000
5. The Hangover: Part II $9,635,000

In limited release action, Tree of Life managed almost $10k per theater, finishing strong in 12th place.

Next weekend, Cars 2 and Bad Teacher open, a clear victory for Pixar. No film has opened with $100 million weekend this year. Will Cars 2 break that streak?

Box Office: Super 8 Finishes First

Super 8 opened with an estimated $37 million, enough to win the weekend, though it was only the 10th-largest opening weekend of 2011. Still, it fared better than the other wide release, Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer, which couldn’t even crack the top five.

Here’s the complete top five, courtesy of BoxOfficeMojo.

1. Super 8 $37,000,000
2. X-Men: First Class $25,000,000
3. The Hangover Part II $18,500,000
4. Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides $10,846,000
5. Bridesmaids $10,154,000

In limited release action, Midnight in Paris only had 944 theaters, but it still cracked the top 10 with almost $6.2 million in earnings. The Tree of Life also did well, taking in $875,000 from 47 theaters. Beginners and The Trip were also over $10k per theater, boding well for their fortunes when they gain theaters.

Next weekend, Green Lantern squares off against Mr. Popper’s Penguins. Who will take the crown?