There may not be any aliens in “Hitch,” but that doesn’t stop Will Smith from scoring a record-breaking $45.3M this Valentines weekend. If estimates hold, this would make “Hitch” the biggest Valentines weekend opener of all time, besting “Daredevil”’s $40.3M in 2003 and “50 First Dates”’s $39.9M in 2004. It’s also the 3rd highest February opener of all time between “Hannibal”’s $58M and “Daredevil”’s $40.3M.
It’s good to finally have a Fresh movie atop the box office for the new year. “Hitch” scored a solid 72% on the Tomatometer. Despite its predictability, Will Smith and Kevin James win praise for their solid, warmhearted performances. “Hitch” also stars Eva Mendes (2 Fast 2 Furious).
This weekend’s other wide release debut, “Pooh’s Heffalump Movie,” grossed an estimated $6M this weekend. That equals “Piglet’s Big Movie,” but is behind “The Tigger Movie”’s $9.4M. “Pooh’s Heffalump Movie” placed 5th. It scored well with critics, receiving a 76% on the Tomatometer. Critics thought it’s a charming and delightful walk through the Hundred Acres Woods for young viewers.
Last week’s chart topper, “Boogeyman,” fell to 2nd place with an estimated $10.8M. Its total after two weeks is $33.3M. It experienced a respectable 43% drop-off from the previous weekend. For a horror film, that’s actually not bad.
“Are We There Yet” continues to hold steady with an estimated $8.5M, good enough for 3rd. Its total after four weeks is $61M.
“Million Dollar Baby” and other Oscar contenders – “Sideways,” “The Aviator,” “Finding Neverland,” and “Hotel Rwanda” – also continue to hold up well too. “Million Dollar Baby” grossed an estimated $7.6M and placed 4th. It’s total after nine weeks of release is $45M.
Last weekend’s 2nd place finisher “The Wedding Date” dropped to 6th this weekend because of direct competition from “Hitch.” Of the films in the top 10, it experienced the steepest drop-off with 50%. It grossed an estimated $5.6M this weekend for a total of $19.5M after two weeks of release.
Rounding out the rest of the top 10 are “Hide and Seek” with $5.5M ($43.6M total), “Sideways” with $4.8M ($53M total), “The Aviator” with $4.6M ($82.2M total), and “Meet the Fockers” with $3.4M ($270M total).
