Jennifer Garner’s frothy comedy 13 Going on 30 lost the No. 1 title to the Denzel Washington actioner Man on Fire, which sizzled across screens at the box office this weekend.
Not only was Man on Fire’s $23 million take enough to catapult it to the top of the box office, it also makes it the fifth best April opener ever, behind Anger Management, The Scorpion King, Kill Bill Vol. 2 and Hellboy.
The film is also the best opening take ever for star Washington, surpassing Training Day, which debuted in October 2001 with $22.5 million.
The lighter 13 Going on 30, which kicked off with $22 million, easily surpassed last week’s champ, Kill Bill Vol. 2, which lost almost 60 percent of its audience in its second week and dropped down to the No. 3 position with a disappointing take of $10.4 million.
On another note, The Passion of the Christ fell out of the Top 10 for the first time since its release nine weeks ago. The biopic took in $2.1 million this weekend and has grossed $364.3 million domestically so far.
This week, the Top 12 films grossed an estimated $83.7 million, down 1.75 percent from last week’s $85.2 million, but up 11.81 percent from last year’s $74.8 million.
Last year, Sony Picture’s R rated thriller Identity debuted at No. 1 with $16.2 million at 2,733 theaters with a $$5,937 per theater average; Sony Pictures’ PG-13 rated comedy Anger Management fell to second place in its third week with $15 million at 3,656 theaters with a $4,105 per theater average; and Buena Vista’s PG-rated Holes came in third place in its second week with $12.5 million at 2,349 theaters with a $5,344 per theater average.
BOX OFFICE TOP 10, ESTIMATES (Source: Exhibitor Relations, Inc.)
No. 1: Man on Fire (20th Century Fox, R)
Gross: $23 million
Weeks opened: NEW! (Opened Wed.)
Theaters: 2,978
Per-theater average: $7,723
Cume to date: $23.03 million
No. 2: 13 Going on 30 (Sony Pictures, PG-13)
Gross: $22 million
Weeks opened: NEW!
Theaters: 3,438
Per-theater average: $6,399
No. 3: Kill Bill Vol. 2 (Miramax, R)
Gross: $10.4 million (-59%)
Weeks opened: 2
Theaters: 3,073 (+102 theaters)
Per-theater average: $2,303
Cume to date: $42.9 million
No. 4: The Punisher (Lions Gate, R)
Gross: $6.1 million (-56%)
Weeks opened: 2
Theaters: 2,649 (Unchanged)
Per-theater average: $2,303
Cume to date: $24 million
No. 5: Home on the Range (Buena Vista, PG)
Gross: $3.4 million (-37%)
Weeks opened: 4
Theaters: 2,481 (-254)
Per-theater average: $1,399
Cume to date: $42.4 million
No. 6: Johnson Family Vacation (Fox Searchlight, PG-13)
Gross: $3.1 million (-47%)
Weeks opened: 3
Theaters: 1,259 (-67)
Per-theater average: $2,502
Cume to date: $25 million
No. 7: Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (Warner Bros., PG-13)
Gross: $3.1 million (-40%)
Weeks opened: 5
Theaters: 2,440 (-390)
Per-theater average: $1,295
Cume to date: $76.5 million
No. 8: Hellboy (Sony Pictures, PG-13)
Gross: $3 million (-47%)
Weeks opened: 4
Theaters: 2,218 (-679)
Per-theater average: $1,353
Cume to date: $54.6 million
No. 9: Ella Enchanted (Miramax, PG)
Gross: $2.7 million (-36%)
Weeks opened: 3
Theaters: 2,149 (+210)
Per-theater average: $1,261
Cume to date: $17.2 million
No. 10: Walking Tall (MGM, PG-13)
Gross: $2.6 million (-42%)
Weeks opened: 4
Theaters: 2,201 (-243)
Per-theater average: $1,204
Cume to date: $40.5 million
