`Hangover' takes down `Up' for top box-office spot

Hollywood had a bigger hangover this weekend than expected.

The Warner Bros. comedy "The Hangover" drew larger audiences than earlier projected to raise its weekend ticket sales to $45 million, about $1.8 million more than the studio estimated Sunday.

That made it the No. 1 draw for the weekend instead of Disney and Pixar Animation's "Up," which came in second with $44.1 million. Sunday studio estimates had "Up" edging "The Hangover" by about $1 million.

It's rare that the first- and second-place movies on Sunday flip-flop when final numbers come out Monday. But strong attendance Sunday allowed "The Hangover" to pull ahead.

With heavy matinee traffic, family films such as "Up" usually hold on better through Sunday than adult movies like "The Hangover."

Warner Bros. had expected Sunday's National Basketball Association playoff game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic to cut into business for the R-rated "The Hangover," the tale of four friends at an out-of-control bachelor party weekend in Las Vegas.

Yet more people turned up for the movie than anticipated, said Dan Fellman, Warner head of distribution.

"The Lakers weren't the only winners," Fellman said. "We had an unbelievable day."

Disney spokeswoman Heidi Trotta said the studio was happy to finish at No. 2 with "Up," whose final weekend total came in about $100,000 lower than the studio estimated Sunday.

"Up" has topped $137 million in just 10 days and is on track to become the latest $200 million blockbuster from Disney and Pixar, whose hits include "WALL-E," "The Incredibles," "Finding Nemo" and the "Toy Story" movies.

The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Hollywood.com are:

1. "The Hangover," Warner Bros., $44,979,319, 3,269 locations, $13,759 average, $44,979,319, one week.

2. "Up," Disney, $44,138,266, 3,818 locations, $11,561 average, $137,210,701, two weeks.

3. "Land of the Lost," Universal, $18,837,350, 3,521 locations, $5,350 average, $18,837,350, one week.

4. "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian," Fox, $14,634,988, 3,807 locations, $3,844 average, $127,326,188, three weeks.

5. "Star Trek," Paramount, $8,310,480, 3,202 locations, $2,595 average, $222,712,175, five weeks.

6. "Terminator Salvation," Warner Bros., $8,248,387, 3,304 locations, $2,496 average, $105,568,008, three weeks.

7. "Drag Me to Hell," Universal, $7,040,550, 2,510 locations, $2,805 average, $28,233,230, two weeks.

8. "Angels & Demons," Sony, $6,550,282, 2,925 locations, $2,239 average, $116,174,931, four weeks.

9. "My Life in Ruins," Fox Searchlight, $3,223,161, 1,164 locations, $2,769 average, $3,223,161, one week.

10. "Dance Flick," Paramount, $1,958,725, 1,707 locations, $1,147 average, $22,625,733, three weeks.

11. "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," Fox, $1,927,096, 1,389 locations, $1,387 average, $174,347,386, six weeks.

12. "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past," Warner Bros., $932,181, 879 locations, $1,061 average, $51,919,132, six weeks.

13. "The Brothers Bloom," Summit, $412,771, 173 locations, $2,386 average, $2,025,712, four weeks.

14. "Fast & Furious," Universal, $286,795, 284 locations, $1,010 average, $154,356,665, 10 weeks.

15. "Monsters vs. Aliens," Paramount, $270,873, 313 locations, $865 average, $194,854,481, 11 weeks.

16. "The Soloist," Paramount, $264,531, 306 locations, $864 average, $30,726,123, seven weeks.

17. "Race to Witch Mountain," Disney, $259,716, 250 locations, $1,039 average, $66,200,577, 13 weeks.

18. "Obsessed," Sony Screen Gems, $258,092, 318 locations, $812 average, $68,032,027, seven weeks.

19. "17 Again," Warner Bros., $212,805, 222 locations, $959 average, $61,605,717, eight weeks.

20. "Hannah Montana: The Movie," Disney, $210,014, 207 locations, $1,015 average, $77,893,713, nine weeks.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ia1FPSxXY_CtWNU2djwNxRbGiU3wD98MO1U00

Opening 'Up' big at box office

Moviegoers got down with "Up," the animated family comedy that soared into first place at the box office.

With debut ticket sales totalling $68.2 million, the Pixar film was the third best opening for the hitmaking animation company, just behind the $70 million openings for "Finding Nemo" and "The Incredibles," according to Disney, Pixar's owner.

Like its Pixar predecessors, the action adventure - featuring a boy, balloons and a cranky old man (with the voice of Ed Asner) - earned glowing reviews from critics.

"The Disney-Pixar collaboration is probably the closet thing to box-office perfection out there," said box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian.

The summer is to be shaping up well for family-oriented movies. Last week's box office winner, "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian," slipped to second place with $25.5 million.

The weekend's other new wide release, the horror flick "Drag Me to Hell," opened at No. 3 with $16.6 million.

"Terminator Salvation" and "Star Trek" continued to steer a strong course, coming in at Nos. 4 and 5 with $12.8 million and $11.2 million, respectively.

Rounding out the box office winners were "Angels & Demons," which was No. 6 with $11.2 million and "Dance Flick," No. 7 with $4.9 million.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/2009/06/01/2009-06-01_opening_up_to_big_money_at_the_box_office.html

'Museum' comedy beats 'Terminator' at box office

Ben Stiller beat Christian Bale in the North American weekend box office duel between their respective "Night at the Museum" and "Terminator" sequels, according to studio estimates issued on Sunday.

Reigning champ Tom Hanks fell to No. 4 with "Angels & Demons," although the Vatican thriller remained the top choice internationally.

"Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" sold $53.5 million worth of tickets across the United States and Canada during the three days beginning Friday, said 20th Century Fox, a unit of News Corp (NWSA.O).

The comedy far exceeded the $30.4 million debut of its 2006 predecessor, "Night at the Museum," and also set a new live-action record for Stiller, one of Hollywood's most reliable box office performers.

Stiller, 43, reprises his role as a night security guard, this time at the center of a battle involving historical figures at the massive Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The cast includes Robin Williams as former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt and Amy Adams as aviatrix Amelia Earhart. The film cost about $125 million to make, Fox said.

It also enjoyed a strong foreign debut, earning $50.5 million from 93 markets, bested only by the $60.4 million haul for "Angels & Demons" from a similar number of territories.

"Terminator Salvation," meanwhile, earned $43.0 million in North America. The film failed to beat the $44 million start for the previous entry in the cyborg series, 2003's "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," the swan song of franchise star Arnold Schwarzenegger.

But the race between the two new sequels was closer than it appeared because Warner Bros. got a head start on the U.S. Memorial Day holiday weekend by opening "Terminator" on Thursday, when it earned about $13.4 million. Much of those ticket sales would have been pushed over to the weekend if it had opened on Friday. Its four-day total was $56.4 million.

"TERMINATOR" BATTLES "TREK," HOOPS

The studios generally try to avoid each other when they roll out their big movies. In this case, "Night at the Museum" played to a broad audience, while "Terminator" was more targeted at male moviegoers.

Time Warner Inc (TWX.N)-owned Warner Bros. said "Terminator" was likely more affected by competition from the similarly-skewing "Star Trek," which slipped one place to No. 3 in its third weekend with $22 million. The National Basketball Association playoffs also appeared to siphon off older men in cities such as Los Angeles.

Warner Bros. paid $50 million for domestic distribution rights. The post-acpocalyptic film, in which "Batman" star Bale takes on the freedom-fighter role of John Connor, cost about $180 million to make, the studio said.

"Angels & Demons," sequel to 2006 film "The Da Vinci Code," earned $21.4 million, taking the 10-day total for the Columbia Pictures release to $81.5 million. By contrast, "The Da Vinci Code" had earned $136.5 million after the same period.

But the Sony Corp (6758.T) (SNE.N) unit has said it never expected the second film to be as big. As was the case with "The Da Vinci Code," the film is a much bigger international draw. Its overseas total now stands at $198.3 million.

Paramount Pictures' youth-oriented reboot of the "Star Trek" sci-fi franchise has earned $183.5 million after three weekends.

The Viacom Inc (VIAb.N) unit also claimed the No. 5 spot with "Dance Flick," a comedy spoof from the Wayans family. It earned a modest $11 million.

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUSN2442066820090524

'Angels & Demons' beams past 'Star Trek' at box office Read more: "'Angels & Demons' beams past 'Star Trek' at box office"

"Angels & Demons" flew to the top spot at the box office, edging out "Star Trek" with $48 million in ticket sales.

The thriller, adapted from the Dan Brown novel and starring Tom Hanks as Harvard symbologist-turned-Vatican savior, fared less well than Hanks' "The Da Vinci Code," which took in $77.1 million its first weekend in 2006.

Still, even with less-than-stellar reviews, "Angels" toppled "Star Trek," which pulled in $43 million over its second weekend.

Meanwhile, Hugh Jackman's "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" locked in the No. 3 spot with $14.8 million in ticket sales.

"Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" conjured up fourth place with a $6.9 million take. "Obsessed," remained a steady earner in fifth place with $4.6 million in sales.

"Angels & Demons" was the only new release, but the weekend remained robust for movies, which have been drawing recession-blind crowds and record-breaking profits that are 16% more than last year.

"We're headed toward a record-breaking summer," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "If you've got a blockbuster in the pipeline, you're very happy. "

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/2009/05/18/2009-05-18_demons_take_over_scaring_off_star_trek.html

'Star Trek' has galactic $72.5 million box office opening

"Star Trek" went where no Trekkie film has gone before, earning $72.5 million in its first weekend in theaters.

The new "Trek" easily topped the previous record opening weekend in the 11-movie series, which was $30.7 million for 1996's "Star Trek: First Contact."

The blockbuster debut is highly logical, as Mr. Spock might say, considering all the hype, buzz and overwhelmingly strong reviews the reboot of the 1960s television series has garnered.

The film, which explores the back stories of Spock, Capt. Kirk and the rest of the Enterprise crew, was also one of the most favorably reviewed movies of the year.

The fact that box-office sales grew over the weekend from $26.8 million on Friday to $27.4 million on Saturday also shows the movie "is going to have legs, a rare commodity in a world where every week there's a new blockbuster," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com.

Last week's top film, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," came in at No. 2 with $27 million.

The prequel to the "X-Men" franchise, starring Hugh Jackman as the mutant who slices and dices his enemies with his metal claws, has made nearly $129.6 million in two weeks.

"We think we withstood the attack of 'Star Trek,' if you will, and will settle into a long, successful run," said Chris Aronson of 20th Century Fox.

Other strong holdovers included "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past," which was No. 3 with $10.5 million.

"Obsessed" came in No. 4 with $6.6 million, and "17 Again" earned $4.4 million to land in fifth place.

The week's other new wide release, the stoner comedy "Next Day Air," came in at No. 6 with $4 million.

Rounding out the top 10 box-office winners were "The Soloist," which earned seventh place with $3.6 million, and the animated comedy "Monsters vs. Aliens," which scared up $3.4 million in ticket sales for eighth place.

"Earth" was No. 9 with $2.5 million, and "Hannah Montana: The Movie," came in at No. 10 with box-office sales reaching $2.4 million.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/2009/05/10/2009-05-10_star_trek_has_galactic_725_million_box_office_opening.html#ixzz0F9ROIxL6&A

Wolverine slashes US competition

The action adventure film X-Men Origins: Wolverine has slashed its way to the top of the North American box office, early figures show.

The comic book prequel took $87m (£58.2m) in its opening weekend despite an unfinished copy being leaked on the internet a month before its release.

Globally, the movie took another $73m (£49m) in ticket sales.

The film, starring Hugh Jackman, tells the story of mutant James Logan seeking revenge for his girlfriend's death.

Chris Aronson of Twentieth Century Fox called the opening figure "fantastic" after estimating a $70m (£47m) opening.

US BOX OFFICE 1. X-Men Origins: Wolverine - $87m 2. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past - $15.3m 3. Obsessed - $12.2m 4. 17 Again - $6.4m 5. Monsters vs Aliens - $5.8m Source: Media By Numbers

He also noted box office takings may have been affected by other issues including the swine flu outbreak that shut cinemas in Mexico and a high profile basketball game in the US.

Aronson added he was confident the film would still continue to perform well, despite the release of other big budget films in May including Star Trek, Terminator: Salvation and The Da Vinci Code sequel, Angels and Demons.

"When there are quality films to be seen, the marketplace will expand to accommodate everybody," he said.

Elsewhere on the chart, romantic comedy Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, starring Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner, opened at number two with $15.3m (£10.3m).

Last week's number one, stalking thriller Obsessed, fell two places to three, while Zac Efron comedy 17 Again remained at four.

Animated film Monsters vs Aliens climbed back up the chart to five.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8032262.stm

'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' grosses $35 million Friday night

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is howling its way to the top of the box office with an opening day gross of $35 million. Bowing in 4,099 theaters, the film boasted a per-screen average of $8,539 on Friday. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (starring Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner) also scored a healthy opening-day number, with $5.8 million in 3,175 theaters. Wolverine's opening-day haul lags behind 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand's single-day opening gross of $45 million, according to Hollywood.com's box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian. Whether the can make up the deficit in the next two days remains to be seen. If not, it's highly unlikely the Hugh Jackman flick will manage to match Iron Man's gross of $98.6 from this same weekend last year.

http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2009/05/x-men-origins-w.html

At The Box Office: Beyonce’s Stalker Thriller ‘Obsessed’ Takes #1

After previous weekend takeovers by Zac Efron and Miley Cyrus, a more adult film took this week's box office by a mile.

Sony's stalker thriller "Obsessed," starring Beyonce, Idris Elba and Ali Larter, came in #1 this weekend, leaving the competition in the dust, taking in $28.5 million.

In the film, businessman Idris Elba has his life turned upside down by his obsessive new secretary (Ali Landry), who goes beyond the office crush, while Beyonce vies to keep her husband.

Females flocked to the theaters to see all the dram and catfight. According to Variety, the film's audience was 58% female, while nearly 50% was under age 25.

Right behind the Beyonce thriller, at #2, is last week's top movie "17 Again", which grossed another 11.6 million.

"Fighting" punched its way to #3, doing better than expected by grossing an estimated $11.4 million. The film tells the story of small-town boy Channing Tatum trying to make it big in New York City, featuring bare-knuckle scraps and lots of busted lips.

"The Soloist," starring critical acclaimed actors Robert Downey Jr and Jamie Foxx, came in at #4 with $9.2 million dollars in ticket sales. The film's lackluster debut could be credited to the studio's decision to move its premiere date from late last year to early spring, or the so-so reviews.

Disneynature's "Earth" performed well, grossing an estimated $8.6 million for the weekend to put it at #5, scoring the best domestic opening ever for a nature docu, as well as one of the top openings of all time for any doc. The documentary culls extraordinary nature footage from the BBC's landmark series "Planet Earth.

"Monsters vs. Aliens" lands at #6 with $8.5 million; "State of Play" at #7 with $6.8; "Hannah Montana: The Movie" at #8 with $6.3; "Fast & Furious" at #9 with another $6 million to take its total to $150 million; and "Crank: High Voltage" rounds at the top 10 with $2.4 million.

Another new release, "The Informers" came in at #19, landing just $300,000 in ticket sales. The film, based on the Bret Easton Ellis novel, opened in limited release.

The highly regarded Mike Tyson documentary "Tyson," debuted at $86,000 on just 11 screens.

http://www.ballerstatus.com/2009/04/27/at-the-box-office-beyonces-stalker-thriller-obsessed-takes-1/

'Hannah Montana' grosses a stellar $17.4 mil on Friday

Miley Cyrus' Hannah Montana: The Movie jumped out to an early lead at the weekend box office, banking a huge $17.4 mil on Friday. That's the best opening-day gross for a (live-action) G-rated movie ever. The Disney Channel adaptation is on pace to bring in more than $30 mil this Easter weekend, which should put it ahead of reigning champ Fast & Furious. Vin Diesel's car-franchise flick earned a strong $10.6 mil on Friday. The weekend's other big new releases garnered first-day grosses that were in line with expectations: Seth Rogen's Observe and Report laughed up $4.8 mil and Dragonball: Evolution conjured just $2.1 mil. Friday's rankings are below, and please check back here on Sunday for a full weekend recap in the Box Office Report.

1. Hannah Montana: The Movie -- $17.4 mil
2. Fast & Furious -- $10.6 mil
3. Monsters vs. Aliens -- $9.1 mil
4. Observe and Report -- $4.8 mil
5. Knowing -- $2.4 mil
6. The Haunting in Connecticut -- $2.4 mil
7. I Love You, Man -- $2.3 mil
8. Dragonball: Evolution -- $2.1 mil
9. Adventureland -- $1.2 mil
10. Duplicity -- $1 mil

http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2009/04/hannah-saturday.html

'Fast' flick revs up 'Furious' 72.5M biz at box office

"Fast & Furious" streaked off the starting line during its opening weekend, reaching the No. 1 spot at the box office with high-octane ticket sales that hit $72.5 million in three days.

The hot-rod flick fueled by Paul Walker and Vin Diesel sped by the No. 2 "Monsters vs. Aliens" as it stole honors as the best opening of the year.

Critics, who had panned "Fast & Furious" as a wreck, were stunned by its big-money debut - especially since Diesel and Walker had hardly lit up the box office in recent years.

In just one weekend, "Fast & Furious" earned more than the 2006 installment of the racing franchise, "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift."

"The marketing of this movie was also brilliant because it emphasized the reunited cast and it's an action film with fast cars, good-looking women and attractive men," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of the box office watchdog Media By Numbers.

"Monsters vs. Aliens" slipped out of first place with sales of $33.5 million in its second week and "The Haunting in Connecticut" scared up $9.6 million to land at No. 3.

Nicolas Cage's action movie "Knowing" followed in fourth place with a take of $8.1 million and the Paul Rudd comedy "I Love You, Man" was No. 5 with $7.9 million in sales.

The top 10 boasted two other new entries. Teen comedy "Adventureland" was No. 6 with sales of $6 million and the crime-scene cleanup comedy "Sunshine Cleaning" rose to No. 10 with sales of $1.9 million in its fourth week.

"Duplicity," a Clive Owens and Julia Roberts thriller, earned $4.3 million and the seventh spot in its fifth week.

The Disney family movie "Race to Witch Mountain" was in eighth place with sales of $3.4 million and "12 Rounds" landed ninth with $2.3 million in sales.

Overall, the box office was up a whopping 68% from the weekend last year, when holdover "21" outplayed a number of weak new movies.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/2009/04/06/2009-04-06_fast_flick_revs_up_furious_725m_biz_at_b.html

'Fast & Furious' grosses huge $30.1 mil on Friday, on pace to shatter box office records

Fast & Furious started off the weekend in shocking fashion, earning an astonishing $30.1 million at the box office on Friday. That sum is more than twice what most industry observers expected and it sets Vin Diesel's franchise flick on a pace to annihilate the record for the best April opening ever, Anger Management's $42.2 mil, among other achievements. By comparison, the highly anticipated Watchmen banked a smaller $25.1 mil on its first day. (Yes, the sound you hear right now is jaws dropping all around Hollywood.) The weekend's other big new movie, Adventureland, had a hard time getting its motor running, grossing just $2.2 mil on the first day of the frame. Friday's rankings are below, and please check back here tomorrow for a full weekend recap in the Box Office Report.

1. Fast & Furious -- $30.1 mil
2. Monsters vs. Aliens -- $8.9 mil
3. The Haunting in Connecticut -- $3.7 mil
4. I Love You, Man -- $2.7 mil
5. Knowing -- $2.7 mil
6. Adventureland -- $2.2 mil

http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2009/04/saturday-fast.html

'Monsters vs. Aliens' grosses $16.7 mil at the box office on Friday

DreamWorks Animation's 3-D extravaganza Monsters vs. Aliens started off the weekend with a strong gross of $16.7 million on Friday. Thus, the animated family film is on track to bank as much as $60 mil over the course of the weekend, which would be in line with its great expectations. The Haunting in Connecticut also opened really well, exceeding its projected figures with $9.6 mil on its first day. But the weekend's other big new movie, 12 Rounds, was way back with a mere $1.8 mil. Friday's totals are below, and please check back here on Sunday for a full weekend recap in the Box Office Report.

1. Monsters vs. Aliens -- $16.7 mil
2. The Haunting in Connecticut -- $9.6 mil
3. Knowing -- $4.6 mil
4. I Love You, Man -- $4 mil
5. Duplicity -- $2.3 mil
6. 12 Rounds -- $1.8 mil
7. Race to Witch Mountain -- $1.5 mil

http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2009/03/monsters-saturd.html

Sci-fi thriller 'Knowing' tops weekend box office

Nicolas Cage proved again to be a self-fulfilling prophet of the megaplex as his latest big-screen thriller, "Knowing," topped the North American box office this weekend with an opening tally of $24.8 million, according to studio figures on Sunday.

The sci-fi adventure, starring Cage as an astrophysicist who decodes an encrypted prophecy of global doom and races to save the world from cataclysm, marked the fifth-biggest movie opening of his career and his ninth No. 1 film since 1997.

Besides underscoring Cage's enduring appeal as one of Hollywood's most bankable heroes, the film's end-of-the-world scenario seemed to offer an ideal antidote for moviegoers weary of gloomy economic news.

"In a doomsday scenario, dollars and cents don't really matter anymore, and I think that's really appealing to people," said box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media By Numbers. "Who cares about mortgages anymore if the world's going to blow up?"

Cage clinched his biggest opening in 2007 with "Ghost Rider," which grossed $45.4 million its first weekend, followed by his two "National Treasure" adventures with $44.8 million and $35.1 million. Those three films went on to gross well over $500 million domestically alone.

"Knowing," released by independent distributor Summit Entertainment, easily beat out two other movies opening in wide release -- the male-bonding comedy "I Love You, Man" from Paramount Pictures (VIAb.N), and Universal Pictures' (GE.N) international spy thriller "Duplicity," co-starring Julia Roberts and Clive Owen.

"I Love You, Man," featuring Paul Rudd and Jason Segel, opened at No. 2 with an estimated $18 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales for Friday through Sunday. Rudd and Segel previously appeared together in last year's "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," which Segel wrote, and the 2007 comedy "Knocked Up."

"Duplicity" grossed $14.4 million to land at No. 3 this weekend. Its co-stars, Roberts and Owen, previously appeared together in the 2004 romantic drama "Closer."

Last weekend's top movie, "Race to Witch Mountain," fell to fourth place with receipts of $13 million, while the superhero film "Watchmen" rounded out the top five at $6.7 million in its third weekend.

Horror remake "The Last House on the Left" slipped three notches to No. 6 in its second weekend with $5.9 million, while the kidnap thriller "Taken," starring Liam Neeson, grossed $4.1 million in its eighth weekend to fall to No. 7.

The Oscar-winning rags-to-riches hit "Slumdog Millionaire" eased two spots to No. 8 with $2.7 million. That brought its domestic tally after 19 weeks to $137.2 million.

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUSN2254213920090322

Three star-powered films prep for box-office battle

Three wide-release movies look likely to generate decent business this weekend, making for a tough battle for the domestic box-office crown.

Some film industry observers say Summit Entertainment's sci-fi yarn "Knowing," starring Nicolas Cage and Rose Byrne, will unspool at No. 1 with well more than $20 million through Sunday. Support is strongest among older males, but older females and younger males also express good prerelease interest.

But considering that younger filmgoers tend to be the driving force of movie openings, Paramount's R-rated comedy "I Love You, Man" is a strong contender.

Toplined by Paul Rudd and Jason Segel -- who also paired in last year's "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" -- "Man" appears a lock for at least a teen-millions gross. With enough younger moviegoers flocking to "Man," "Knowing" could find itself in a battle for the top spot.

"We're good for $20 million or more for the weekend," Summit distribution chief Richie Fay said. "Whether that wins the weekend, only time will tell."

If "Knowing" and "Man" end up bruising each other, that would represent an opening for Universal's spy thriller "Duplicity," starring Julia Roberts and Clive Owen. More likely, though, the pecking order through Sunday will turn out to be "Knowing," "Man" and "Duplicity."

"Knowing" was directed by Alex Proyas ("I, Robot"), who also gets an adaptation credit on the long-gestating project, originated by novelist Ryne Pearson. "Man" was directed and co-written by John Hamburg ("Along Came Polly"), and "Duplicity" was written and directed by Tony Gilroy ("Michael Clayton").

"Knowing" is a time-warp thriller of the sort Cage tends to topline -- think "National Treasure" meets "The Wicker Man," though studio executives will hope for an opening more like the former's.

A big bow for "Man" would be well timed for its stars, whose career trajectories are in ascendancy. And "Duplicity" will bear watching for whether it can pull broader audience demographics than suggested by prerelease tracking, in which older women dominated.

Disney's family adventure "Race to Witch Mountain" and Warner Bros.' comics adaptation "Watchmen" will be closely watched in their second and third frames, respectively, for holdover performance. "Mountain" has continued to outpace "Watchmen" in midweek tallies.

Among the weekend's notable expansions, Overture's Amy Adams/Emily Blunt-starring "Sunshine Cleaning" will move into 15 additional markets. "Cleaning" cleaned up last weekend in New York and Los Angeles exclusives.

http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE52J07V20090320

'Witch Mountain' casts box office spell

"Race to Witch Mountain" climbed to No. 1 at the box office with $24.4 million in ticket sales. The Disney sci-fi flick starring Dwayne Johnson bested "Watchmen," the Warner Bros. superhero movie, which earned $17.8 million at No. 2 in its second week.

The Universal horror remake "The Last House on the Left" came in third with $14.1 million.

Despite the better-than-expected success of "Witch Mountain," Hollywood's box office winning streak ended over the weekend.

Factoring in 2009's higher admission prices, the total take was down 16 percent compared to last year, making it the first down weekend in six weeks. Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media By Numbers, does not believe the descent marks the end of the otherwise stellar year at the box office.

"I don't think this down weekend reflects any kind of lack of interest by the audience," Dergarabedian said. "I think it has to do with 'Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who' opening a year ago with $45 million. That's really a tough comparison."

The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Media By Numbers LLC:

1. "Race to Witch Mountain," Disney, $24,402,214, 3,187 locations, $7,657 average, $24,402,214, one week.

2. "Watchmen," Warner Bros, $17,817,301, 3,611 locations, $4,934 average, $85,751,993, two weeks.

3. "The Last House On the Left," Universal, $14,118,685, 2,401 locations, $5,880 average, $14,118,685, one week.

4. "Taken," Fox, $6,568,651, 2,858 locations, $2,298 average, $126,752,054, seven weeks.

5. "Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail," Lionsgate, $5,108,532, 2,203 locations, $2,319 average, $83,187,594, four weeks.

6. "Slumdog Millionaire," Fox Searchlight, $5,002,777, 2,578 locations, $1,941 average, $132,602,820, 18 weeks.

7. "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," Sony/columbia, $3,119,151, 2,281 locations, $1,367 average, $137,785,983, nine weeks.

8. "He's Just Not That Into You," Warner Bros., $2,939,484, 1,890 locations, $1,555 average, $89,038,259, six weeks.

9. "Coraline," Focus Features, $2,718,231, 1,768 locations, $1,537 average, $69,240,852, six weeks.

10. "Miss March," Fox, $2,409,156, 1,742 locations, $1,383 average, $2,409,156, one week.

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‘Watchmen’ Dominates Box Office With Estimated $55.7M Opening Weekend

Call it a foregone conclusion, but with opening weekend box office estimates beginning to roll in, there’s now an abundantly clear response to the question, “Who watches the Watchmen?”

The answer: millions of fans.

While the final weekend gross is still unofficial, the L.A. Times is now reporting that, after an impressive $25 million Friday opening and an $18.7M Saturday take added to that, Warner Bros. analysts are predicting “Watchmen” weekend totals to be $55.7M once the smoke clears from the fanboys stampeding to the multiplexes during the film’s premiere weekend.

While “Watchmen” will easily take the #1 spot on the weekend box office chart — not to mention earn bragging rights as the biggest opening of 2009 thus far — the studio was reportedly gunning for a $60M opening weekend total, if not hoping that the film would eclipse the previous March opening champ, “300,” which raked in $70.9M during it’s debut weekend.

Yet, for a film with a running-time just shy of three hours, no big name talent, oodles of brutality, and based on a comic book that most of the general public has never ever heard of, it’s clear that “Watchmen” is a success, and it will be interesting to see how well the film fares in the coming weeks as more fans who couldn’t get into this weekend’s showtimes make their way to the theaters to check out the flick.

http://splashpage.mtv.com/2009/03/08/watchmen-dominates-box-office-with-estimated-557m-opening-weekend/

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3 Tops Weekend Box Office; Biggest Musical Opening Ever!

The North American release of Disney's High School Musical 3 brought in even bigger numbers than originally anticipated. Variety reports that High School Musical 3 brought in $42 million domestically to top the box office and to make it the biggest musical bow ever.

The film also brought in $40 million from 22 overseas markets and has been receiving better than anticipated reviews, including a weekend rave from Stephen Holden in the The New York Times.

Disney's High School Musical phenomenon leaps onto the big screen with High School Musical 3:Senior Year in which America's favorite high school students (Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu and Monique Coleman) hit senior year. Amidst a basketball championship, prom and a big spring musical featuring all of the Wildcats, Troy and Gabriella vow to make every moment last as their lifelong college dreams put the future of their relationship in question. A crew of sophomore Wildcats (Matt Prokop, Justin Martin, Jemma Mckenzie-Brown) joins in the fun as the film's incredible new music and exciting dance numbers take maximum advantage of the big screen.

DGA Award-winning director and choreographer Kenny Ortega once again is at the helm for Walt Disney Pictures' upcoming film High School Musical: 3 for the big-screen, featuring all principal cast members from the two previous tween-phenomenon TV events; including Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu and Monique Coleman.

High School Musical 2, the sequel to Disney's smash TV hit, premiered on the Disney Channel on August 17, 2007 and drew an estimated 17.2 million viewers on Friday night, making it the most-watched basic cable telecast ever and garnered the most tween viewership ever.



High School Musical premiered on Disney Channel on January 20, 2006, and became the highest rated original movie up until that time. It won the Television Critics Association Award for Outstanding Children's Programming, and received two Emmy Awards (of its total 6 nominations), a DGA Award, an Imagen Award for Best Children's Program, and a Humanitas Prize nomination. The soundtrack received a Billboard Music Award for Soundtrack of the Year, and was nominated for an American Music Award in the Favorite Album (Pop/Rock) category. The film even earned an entry in the Guinness World Record Book as the first TV movie to deliver nine concurrent singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.