HOLLYWOOD - The box office was buoyed by a variety pack of newcomers this weekend.Starting at the top of the heap, comic-book actioner Hellboy debuted at No. 1 with a devilish $23.5 million, knocking last week's champ, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, into third place. The Rock's Walking Tall managed to bone-crunch its way through the competition, opening in the second spot with $15.3 million.
On the more lighthearted side, Disney's animated cow flick Home on the Range opened at No. 4 with $14 million, while the romantic modern-day fairy tale The Prince & Me premiered in fifth place with $10 million.
Having five movies pull in $10 million or more is a rarity for early April, typically a slower time at theaters. "This weekend was like the classic moviegoers' weekend. You had all these different genres represented," Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations, told The Associated Press. "If you wanted lots of choices, they certainly were there for you."
This week, the Top 12 films grossed an estimated $114.5 million, up 5.86 percent from last week's $108.1 million, and up a whopping 39.33 percent from last year's $82.2 million.
Last year, 20th Century Fox's R-rated thriller Phone Booth debuted at No. 1 with $15 million at 2,481 theaters with a $6,054 per theater average; Warner Brother's PG-rated teen fareWhat a Girl Wants opened in second place with $11.4 million at 2,959 theaters with a $4,481 per theater; and New Line's R-rated drama A Man Apart premiered in third place with $11 million in 2,459 theaters with a $4,481 per theater average.
BOX OFFICE TOP 10, ESTIMATES (Source: Exhibitor Relations, Inc.)
No. 1: Hellboy (Sony Pictures, PG-13)
• Gross: $23.5 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 3,028
• Per-theater average: $7,761
No. 2: Walking Tall (MGM, PG-13)
• Gross: $15.3 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 2,836
• Per-theater average: $5,395
No. 3: Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (Warner Bros., PG-13)
• Gross: $15 million (-49%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 3,312 (unchanged)
• Per-theater average: $4,555
• Cume to date: $50 million
No. 4: Home on the Range (Buena Vista, PG-13)
• Gross: $14 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 3,047
• Per-theater average: $4,595
No. 5: The Prince & Me (Paramount, PG)
• Gross: $30.7 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 2,682
• Per-theater average: $3,729
No. 6: The Passion of the Christ (Newmarket, R)
• Gross: $10 million (-22%)
• Weeks opened: 6
• Theaters: 3,408 (-194)
• Per-theater average: $2,899
• Cume to date: $330.1 million
No. 7: The Ladykillers (Buena Vista, R)
• Gross: $7 million (-45%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 1,587 (+4)
• Per-theater average: $4,416
• Cume to date: $23.4 million
No. 8: Jersey Girl (Miramax, PG-13)
• Gross: $5.1 million (-38%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 1,821 (+301)
• Per-theater average: $2,816
• Cume to date: $15.8 million
No. 9: Dawn of the Dead (Universal Pictures, R)
• Gross: $4.3 million (-59%)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 2,357 (-391)
• Per-theater average: $3,765
• Cume to date: $51.5 million
No. 10: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Focus Features, PG-13)
• Gross: $3.5 million (-34%)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 1,120 (-237)
• Per-theater average: $3,180
• Cume to date: $22 million
OTHER OPENINGS
The United States of Leland (Paramount Classics, R)
• Gross: $51,000
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 14
• Per-theater average: $3,643
Shaolin Soccer (Miramax, PG-13)
• Gross: $37,000
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 6
• Per-theater average: $6,167