Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey have the Midas touch when it comes to romantic comedies. Despite scathing reviews, their latest effort, Fool’s Gold, opened at No. 1 at the North American box office this weekend with $22 million.
“A great marketing campaign, two appealing stars, and reviews be damned,” Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers told The Associated Press. “Heading into Valentine’s week, it’s sort of a natural.”
Martin Lawrence’s comedy Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins debuted in second place with $17.1 million, while the phenom Hannah Montana concert movie dropped from first place to third with $10.5 million.
This weekend’s other new wide releases included Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show, which failed to make the top 10 list, bringing in just $507,000, as did Paris Hilton‘s comedy The Hottie and the Nottie, which did even worse, bombing with around $25,000.
The Top 12 movies took in $91.4 million, down .35 percent from last year’s $91.7 million on the same weekend last year and down 10.23 percent from last weekend’s total of $101.8 million.
The Top Three films at the box office this time last year: Paramount’s Norbit, which opened at No. 1 with $34.1 million in 3,136 theaters, averaging $10,904 per theater; MGM’s Hannibal Rising, which debuted in second place with $13 million in 3,003 theaters, averaging $4,346 per theater; and Universal’s Because I Said So, which dropped to third place in its second week of release with $9.2 million in 2,529 theaters, averaging $3,646 per theater (Click here to read last year’s box office report).
BOX OFFICE TOP 10 ESTIMATES
(Source: Exhibitor Relations, Inc.)
No. 1: Fool’s Gold (Warner Bros. PG-13)
• Gross: $29 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 3,125
• Per-theater average: $7,043
No. 2: Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (Universal, PG-13)
• Gross: $17.1 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 2,387
• Per-theater average: $7,175
No. 3: Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds (Walt Disney, G)
• Gross: $10.5 million (-66%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 687 (+4)
• Per-theater average: $15,295
• Cume to date: $53.3 million
No. 4: The Eye (Lionsgate, PG-13)
• Gross: $6.6 million (-47%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 2,470 (+34)
• Per-theater average: $2,684
• Cume to date: $21.5 million
No. 5: Juno (Fox Searchlight, PG-13)
• Gross: $5.7 million (-18%)
• Weeks opened: 10
• Theaters: 2,321 (-154)
• Per-theater average: $2,467
• Cume to date: $117.6 million
No. 6: 27 Dresses (20th Cent Fox, PG-13)
• Gross: $5.7 million (-33%)
• Weeks opened: 4
• Theaters: 2,841 (-135)
• Per-theater average: $2,006
• Cume to date: $65.3 million
No. 7: The Bucket List (Warner Bros., PG-13)
• Gross: $5.3 million (-21%)
• Weeks opened: 5
• Theaters: 2,753 (-162)
• Per-theater average: $1,940
• Cume to date: $75 million
No. 8: Rambo (Lionsgate, R)
• Gross: $4.1 million (-42%)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 2,717 (-47)
• Per-theater average: $1,513
• Cume to date: $36.5 million
No. 9: Meet the Spartans (Fox, PG-13)
• Gross: $4.075 million (-44%)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 2,446 (-197)
• Per-theater average: $1,666
• Cume to date: $33.9 million
No. 10: There Will Be Blood (Paramount Vantage, R)
• Gross: $4.073 million (-12%)
• Weeks opened: 7
• Theaters: 1,620 (+113)
• Per-theater average: $2,514
• Cume to date: $26.7 million
OTHER OPENINGS
Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show (Picturehouse, R)
• Gross: $507,277
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 962
• Per-theater average: $527
The Hottie and the Nottie (Regent Releasing, PG-13)
• Gross: $26,000
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 111
• Per-theater average: $234
In Bruges (Focus Features, R)
• Gross: $471,200
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 28
• Per-theater average: $16,829
The Band’s Visit (Sony Classics, PG-13)
• Gross: $70,580
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 7
• Per-theater average: $10,083
