HOLLYWOOD - Love conquers even the worst of demons.The Will Smith romantic comedy Hitch once again took the No.1 for the second week with $31.8 million, edging out the new challenger, the hellish Constantine, starring Keanu Reeves as a rogue occultist, which debuted in second with $30.5 million. The other openers--the sweet family drama Because of Winn-Dixie and the raucous family comedy Son of the Mask--came in third ($10.8 mil) and fourth ($7.6 mil), respectively.
If the estimates stand, this could very well be the second best President's Day weekend ever with a total box office gross of $119, behind 2003 which brought in $123.8 million.
This weekend, the Top 12 films grossed an estimated $119 million, up 14.88 percent from last weekend's $103.6 million take and up 13.19 percent from last year's draw of $105.1 million.
The top three films at the box office this time last year were: Sony Pictures' PG-rated 50 First Dates, which stayed at No. 1 for the second week with $39.8 million in 3,591 theaters, averaging $12,561 per theater; Buena Vista's PG-rated Miracle which stayed in second place in its third week with $14 million in 2,755 theaters, averaging $6,174 per theater; and MGM's PG-13 rated Barbershop 2: Back in Business, which stayed in third place in its third week with $14.4 million in 2,711 theaters, averaging $6,087 per theater.
(Story continues below...)
BOX OFFICE TOP 10, ESTIMATES:
(Source: Exhibitor Relations, Inc.)
No. 1: Hitch (Sony Pictures, PG-13)
• Gross: $31.8 million (-26%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 3,575 (unchanged)
• Per-theater average: $8,895
• Cume to date: $90.1 million
No. 2: Constantine (Warner Bros., R)
• Gross: $30.5 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 3,006
• Per-theater average: $10,155
No. 3: Because of Winn-Dixie (20th Century Fox, PG)
• Gross: $10.8 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 3,188
• Per-theater average: $3,403
No. 4: Son of the Mask (New Line Cinema, PG)
• Gross: $7.6 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 2,966
• Per-theater average: $2,588
No. 5: Million Dollar Baby (Warner Bros., PG-13)
• Gross: $7.1 million (-3%)
• Weeks opened: 10
• Theaters: 2,105 (+70)
• Per-theater average: $3,416
• Cume to date: $54.6 million
No. 6: Are We There Yet? (Sony Pictures, PG)
• Gross: $6.5 million (-21%)
• Weeks opened: 5
• Theaters: 2,519 (-290)
• Per-theater average: $2,580
• Cume to date: $69.5 million
No. 7: Boogeyman (Sony Pictures, PG-13)
• Gross: $5.5 million (-46%)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 2,572 (-480)
• Per-theater average: $2,138
• Cume to date: $41.1 million
No. 8: Pooh's Heffalump Movie (Buena Vista, G)
• Gross: $4.4 million
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 2,529 (unchanged)
• Per-theater average: $1,743
• Cume to date: $11.6 million
No. 9: The Aviator (Miramax, PG-13)
• Gross: $4.1 million (-11%)
• Weeks opened: 10
• Theaters: 1,710 (-486)
• Per-theater average: $2,441
• Cume to date: $88.1 million
No. 10: Sideways (Fox Searchlight, R)
• Gross: $3.9 million (-13%)
• Weeks opened: 18
• Theaters: 1,300 (-319)
• Per-theater average: $3,000
• Cume to date: $58.1 million
OTHER OPENINGS
Imaginary Heroes (Sony Pictures Classics, R)
• Gross: $31,270
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 8
• Per-theater average: $3,909