The biker buddy comedy Wild Hogs, starring John Travolta, Martin Lawrence, William H. Macy and Tim Allen, opened on top of the North American box office this weekend, with a $38 million take.
Wild Hogs performed well beyond expectations, Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers, told The Associated Press. It had been expected to be No. 1 with earnings in the $25 million range, he said.
“It’s just astonishing,” Dergarabedian said. “It was the perfect vehicle for these four stars. A combination of star power, great concept and great marketing was responsible. This is not an Oscar contender, but it’s a fun time at the movies. You know, sometimes it’s just about escapism.”
The other newcomers to the box office fray didn’t do quite as well. The thriller Zodiac, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr., debuted in second place with a mere $13.1 million, while the bluesy Black Snake Moan–about an aging black man (Samuel L. Jackson) who chains a young white woman (Christina Ricci) to a radiator to cure her of her demons—opened in eighth place with $4 million.
The Top 12 movies grossed $105.3 million over the weekend, up 26.78 percent from last year’s draw of $83.1 million and up 4.29 percent from last weekend’s total of $101 million.
The Top Three films at the box office this time last year were: Lions Gate’s Madea’s Family Reunion, which stayed at No. 1 for the second week in a row with $12.6 million in 2,194 theaters, averaging $5,765 per theater; Warner Bros. 16 Blocks, which opened in second place with $11.8 million in 2,706 theaters, averaging $4,381 per theater; and Buena Vista’s Eight Below, which dropped to third place in its third week with $10.1 million in 3,122 theaters, averaging $3,247 per theater (Click here to read last year’s box office report).
BOX OFFICE TOP 10, ESTIMATES:
(Source: Exhibitor Relations, Inc.)
No. 1: Wild Hogs (Buena Vista, PG-13)
• Gross: $38 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 3,287
• Per-theater average: $11,561
No. 2: Zodiac (Paramount, R)
• Gross: $13.1 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 2,362
• Per-theater average: $5,546
No. 3: Ghost Rider (Sony, PG-13)
• Gross: $11.5 million (-43%)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 3,608 (-12)
• Per-theater average: $3,187
• Cume to date: $94.7 million
No. 4: Bridge to Terabithia (Buena Vista, PG)
• Gross: $8.5 million (-40%)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 3,159 (+20)
• Per-theater average: $2,718
• Cume to date: $57.8 million
No. 5: The Number 23 (New Line, R)
• Gross: $6.5 million (-55%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 2,759 (unchanged)
• Per-theater average: $2,356
• Cume to date: $24.1 million
No. 6: Norbit (Paramount, PG-13)
• Gross: $6.4 million (-34%)
• Weeks opened: 4
• Theaters: 2,827 (-318)
• Per-theater average: $2,280
• Cume to date: $82.9 million
No. 7: Music and Lyrics (Warner Bros., PG-13)
• Gross: $4.8 million (-36%)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 2,644 (-311)
• Per-theater average: $1,851
• Cume to date: $38.6 million
No.8: Black Snake Moan (Paramount Vantage, R)
• Gross: $4 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 1,252
• Per-theater average: $3,208
No. 9: Reno 911!: Miami (20th Cent Fox, R)
• Gross: $3.7 million
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 2,702 (unchanged)
• Per-theater average: $1,388
• Cume to date: $16.4 million
No. 10: Breach (Universal, PG-13)
• Gross: $3.4 million (-42%)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 1,498 (+5)
• Per-theater average: $2,325
• Cume to date: $25.4 million
OTHER OPENINGS
Two Weeks (MGM, R)
• Gross: $24,000
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 12
• Per-theater average: $2,000
Full of It (New Line, PG-13)
• Gross: $13,000
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 15
• Per-theater average: $867
