Audiences were in the mood for a little gambling. 21, a gambling romp starring Kevin Spacey, Jim Sturgess and Kate Bosworth, debuted in the top spot at the North American box office this weekend with $23.7 million.
Reigning champ Horton Hears a Who slipped to second place with $17.4 million, raising its total to $117.3 million. It is the first movie this year to pass the $100 million mark.
Other newcomers to the make the top 10 list included: the spoof comedy Superhero Movie, which opened in third place with $9.5 million, and the Iraq war drama Stop-Loss, starring Ryan Phillippe, which premiered in eighth place with $4.5 million.
By this time last year, however, Hollywood already had churned out a blockbuster with 300, which eventually topped $200 million, and other hits that included Wild Hogs and Meet the Robinsons.
“Last year was very, very strong at this point. It’s made comparisons very tough,” Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media By Numbers told The Associated Press. “We’re not that far into the year, so every down weekend has a huge impact on the bottom line.”
The Top 12 movies took in $90 million, down 22.68 percent from the same weekend last year at $116.4 million and down 9.01 percent from last weekend’s total of $98.9 million. The top three openers the same weekend last year were: Blades of Glory, which opened at No. 1 with $33 million; Meet the Robinsons, which opened in second place with $25.1 million; and 300, which dropped to third place in its fourth week with $11.4 million.
BOX OFFICE TOP 10 ESTIMATES (Source by: Media by Numbers)
No. 1: 21 (Sony, PG-13)
• Gross: $23.7 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 2,648
• Per-theater average: $8,950
No. 2: Horton Hears a Who (20th Century, G)
• Gross: $17.4 million (-29%)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 3,826 (-135)
• Per-theater average: $4,554
• Cume to date: $117.2 million
No. 3: Superhero Movie (MGM, PG-13)
• Gross: $9.5 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 2,960
• Per-theater average: $3,213
No. 4: Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns (Lionsgate, PG-13)
• Gross: $7.7 million (-61%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 2,016 (+10)
• Per-theater average: $3,849
• Cume to date: $32.8 million
No. 5: Drillbit Taylor (Paramoung, PG-13)
• Gross: $5.8 million (-44%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 3,061 (+5)
• Per-theater average: $1,895
• Cume to date: $20.5 million
No. 6: Shutter (20th Century Fox, PG-13)
• Gross: $5.3 million (-495)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 2,756 (+3)
• Per-theater average: $1,932
• Cume to date: $19.1 million
No. 7: 10,000 B.C. (Warner Bros., PG-13)
• Gross: $4.8 million (-45%)
• Weeks opened: 4
• Theaters: 3,055 (-399)
• Per-theater average: $1,597
• Cume to date: $84.9 million
No. 8: Stop-Loss (Paramount, R)
• Gross: $4.5 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 1,291
• Per-theater average: $3,505
No. 9: College Road Trip (Disney, G)
• Gross: $3.5 million (-25%)
• Weeks opened: 4
• Theaters: 2,270 (-305)
• Per-theater average: $1,544
• Cume to date: $38.3 million
No. 10: The Bank Job (Lionsgate, R)
• Gross: $2.8 million (-33%)
• Weeks opened: 4
• Theaters: 1,605
• Per-theater average: $1,745
• Cume to date: $24.1 million
OTHER OPENINGS
Priceless (Samuel Goldwyn, PG-13)
• Gross: $117,000
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 24
• Per-theater average: $4,875
