This weekend Will Ferrell’s cartoon creation Megamind enjoyed supreme rule over the North American box office for a second consecutive frame as the DreamWorks Animation hit grossed an estimated $30.1M to retain the number one spot. Dropping only 35%, the PG-rated 3D flick held up very well with paying audiences almost matching the 33% sophomore dip witnessed by the company’s 2007 toon Bee Movie from this same weekend. That Jerry Seinfeld pic collected 57% of its $126.6M final in the first ten days. If Megamind follows the same November-December pattern, it should end up with over $150M domestically and certainly a ton more overseas. The blue villain also had a much smaller second weekend drop than Monsters vs. Aliens which fell 45% so the animation studio must be happy with the staying power.
Fox raced into second place with its disaster thriller Unstoppable which bowed to an estimated $23.5M from 3,207 theaters for a strong $7,328 average. The PG-13 film starring Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, and Rosario Dawson was inspired by true events and tells of a team of train workers that races against the clock to stop a runaway train carrying toxic waste from crashing in a heavily populated city. Reviews were outstanding for the Tony Scott-directed actioner which really helped the film connect with adult audiences. Saturday sales climbed an encouraging 19%. Starpower from Washington also helped as the bankable star routinely sees his films open north of $20M. With strong reviews, little action competition in the weeks ahead, and the busy Thanksgiving holiday around the corner, Unstoppable should enjoy a durable run.
The Robert Downey Jr. comedy Due Date took a 53% tumble in the second weekend thanks to shaky word-of-mouth and grossed an estimated $15.5M for Warner Bros. The R-rated road trip flick has amassed an impressive $59M in ten days and should end its journey with about $90M.
Audiences weren’t too interested in alien invasions as the sci-fi actioner Skyline opened in fourth place with only $11.7M, according to estimates. The latest underperformer from Universal averaged a mild $3,822 from 2,880 sites. The studio declined to screen the PG-13 film for critics and when reviews finally ran when the film debuted they were brutal. The modest budget is estimated to be only $10M.
Faring worst among the weekend’s new releases was the workplace comedy Morning Glory starring Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford, and Diane Keaton which debuted in fifth place with an estimated $9.6M. Paramount released the PG-13 film on Wednesday and collected slow mid-week numbers resulting in a weak $12.2M over five days. Averaging a disappointing $3,822 over three days from 2,518 venues, the story of a young woman tapped to produce the lowest-rated morning news show earned mixed reviews from critics and played to an older and more female crowd.
Tyler Perry’s latest entry For Colored Girls suffered a troubling drop in its second frame falling 65% to an estimated $6.8M. Rated R, the ensemble pic based on a popular play has grossed $30.9M in the first ten days and should finish with $40-45M for Lionsgate. It was the worst second weekend drop of any movie from the busy filmmaker.
Still holding up well in its fifth round was the spy film Red which slipped 41% to an estimated $5.1M giving Summit $79.8M to date. Making about as much money this fall, but with no pricey stars inflating the budget, was the supernatural hit Paranormal
Activity 2. The Paramount release scared up an estimated $3.1M, off 57%, for a $82M cume.
Extra-dimensional sequels rounded out the top ten. The torture flick Saw 3D fell 64% to an estimated $2.8M while the zany stunts pic Jackass 3D declined by 54% to an estimated $2.3M. Totals stand at $43.5M for Lionsgate and $114.7M for Paramount.
Expanding in their second weekend of release were a pair of Oscar hopefuls. Danny Boyle’s mountain climber saga 127 Hours went from four to 22 locations in several top markets and grossed an estimated $453,000 for a potent $20,591 average for Fox Searchlight. Summit’s CIA thriller
Fair Game expanded from 46 to 175 sites and captured an estimated $1.1M for a mediocre $6,166 average. Cumes stand at $826,000 and $2M, respectively.
The top ten films grossed an estimated $110.1M which was down 11% from last year when 2012 opened in the top spot with $65.2M; and down 18% from 2008 when Quantum of Solace debuted at number one with $67.5M.
