One of the three laws of Will Smith should state that his films must premiere at the top of the box office. The sci-fi thriller I, Robot, in which Smith stars as a detective trying to pin a murder on a robot, debuted with a strong $52.2 million to defeat former reigning champ Spider-Man 2.
If Sunday’s estimates hold, I, Robot becomes the biggest opener ever for Smith, barely passing Men in Black II, which grossed $52.1 million when it opened at No. 1 over the Fourth of July weekend in 2002. But it easily outperformed Smith’s last starring effort, the actioner Bad Boys II, which took in $46.5 million when it debuted at No. 1 exactly one year ago.
But although Spider-Man 2 was unseated, it swung into second with a sticky $24.2 million in its third week of release, pushing through the $300 million mark. Not bad for a modest neighborhood superhero.
This week also saw the opening of Hilary Duff’s bubbly teen comedy Cinderella Story, which earned a frothy $13.8 million to place it at No. 3.
This weekend, the Top 12 films grossed $138.3 million, up less than 1 percent from last weekend’s $137.8 million, and also down less than 1 percent from the same weekend last year, when they grossed $138.3 million.
The top three films at the box office this time last year were Sony Pictures’ R rated Bad Boys IIwith $46.5 million in 3,186 theaters with a $14,602 per theater average; Buena Vista’s PG-13 rated Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl with $34 million in 3,559 theaters with a $9,563 per theater average; and 20th Century Fox’s PG-13 rated The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen with $10.1 million in 3,559 theaters with a $3,384 per theater average.
BOX OFFICE TOP 10, ESTIMATES: (Source: Exhibitor Relations, Inc.)
No. 1: I, Robot (20th Century Fox, PG-13)
Gross: $52.2 million
Weeks opened: NEW!
Theaters: 3,420
Per-theater average: $15,278
No. 2: Spider-Man 2 (Sony Pictures, PG-13)
Gross: $24.2 million (-46%)
Weeks opened: 3
Theaters: 4,058 (-108)
Per-theater average: $5,964
Cume to date: $301.7million
No. 3: Cinderella Story (Warner Bros., PG)
Gross: $13.8 million
Weeks opened: NEW!
Theaters: 2,625
Per-theater average: $5,257
No. 4: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (DreamWorks, PG-13)
Gross: $13.4 million (-53%)
Weeks opened: 2
Theaters: 3,104 (+13)
Per-theater average: $4,317
Cume to date: $56.5 million
No. 5: Fahrenheit 9/11 (Lions Gate, IFC Films; R)
Gross: $7 million (-37%)
Weeks opened: 4
Theaters: 2,004 (unchanged)
Per-theater average: $3,493
Cume to date: $93.8 million
No. 6: King Arthur (Buena Vista, PG-13)
Gross: $6.9 million (-54%)
Weeks opened: 2
Theaters: 3,086 (unchanged)
Per-theater average: $2,245
Cume to date: $37.8 million
No. 7: The Notebook (New Line Cinema, PG-13)
Gross: $5.4 million (-17%)
Weeks opened: 4
Theaters: 2,089 (-199)
Per-theater average: $2,609
Cume to date: $53.6 million
No. 8: White Chicks (Sony Pictures, PG-13)
Gross: $3.4 million (-45%)
Weeks opened: 4
Theaters: 1,730 (-471)
Per-theater average: $1,965
Cume to date: $63.4 million
No. 9: Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (20th Century Fox, PG-13)
Gross: $3.2 million (-44%)
Weeks opened: 4
Theaters: 1,945 (-499)
Per-theater average: $1,658
Cume to date: $104.5 million
No. 10: The Terminal (DreamWorks, PG-13)
Gross: $3.1 million (-38%)
Weeks opened: 5
Theaters: 1,804 (-509)
Per-theater average: $1,718
Cume to date: $71.2 million
OTHER OPENINGS
The Door in the Floor (Focus Features, R)
Gross: $444,983
Weeks opened: NEW!
Theaters: 47
Per-theater average: $9,468
Maria Full of Grace (New Line Cinema, R)
Gross: $124,000
Weeks opened: NEW!
Theaters: 7
Per-theater average: $17,714
Zhou Yu’s Train (Sony Pictures Classics, NR)
Gross: $23,11
Weeks opened: NEW!
Theaters: 6
Per-theater average: $3,852
