Safe House Tops the Presidents’ Day Holiday Weekend

The ComingSoon.net Box Office Report has been updated with studio estimates for the weekend. Click here for the full box office estimates of the top 12 films and then check back on Tuesday for the final figures based on actual box office.

It was a battle for the top spot this four-day Presidents’ Day weekend and Universal Pictures’ Safe House came out on top with $28.4 million. The Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds action thriller has now earned $82.6 million after two weeks. The Daniel Espinosa-directed film cost about $85 million to make, not counting marketing expenses.

Last week’s champ, Sony’s Screen Gems drama The Vow added another $26.6 million in second place for the four days to push its two-week total to $88.5 million. Starring Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum, the $30 million-film has already become the top domestic grossing title for Screen Gems, surpassing Dear John‘s $80.1 million domestically.

Pulling ahead of newcomer Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance at the last minute, New Line/Warner Bros.’ Journey 2: The Mysterious Island brought in $26.4 million in third and has collected $59.5 million domestically. Internationally, the film has earned $128 million for a worldwide total of $187.4 million. Starring Dwayne Johnson, Michael Caine, Josh Hutcherson, Vanessa Hudgens and Luis Guzman, the family adventure was made for $79 million.

While The Vow has been good news for Sony, the studio’s Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance opened to a disappointing $25.7 million in fourth over the four days in 3,174 theaters, way behind the first film’s $52 million from Presidents’ Day weekend in 2007. Directed by Neveldine/Taylor, the comic book adaptation cost $57 million to make (quite a bit lower than the first film’s $110 million) and stars Nicolas Cage, Fergus Riordan, Ciaran Hinds, Violante Placido, Idris Elba and Johnny Whitworth.

Rounding out the top five was Twentieth Century Fox action-comedy This Means War, which had previews on Valentine’s Day and took in $20.4 million in 3,189 theaters for the holiday weekend (total stands at $22 million). The Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine and Tom Hardy-starrer, directed by McG, was produced for $65 million and also added $11 million from 16 international markets this weekend.

In sixth place, Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace 3D earned $10.2 million over the long weekend to push its total to $36 million after two weeks.

Also notable were Chronicle, which added $9.2 million for a three-week total of $52.7 million, Studio Ghibli’s The Secret World of Arrietty, which collected a solid $8.1 million from 1,522 theaters, and The Woman in Black, which brought in $7.9 million for a three-week total of $46.5 million.

Click here for the full box office results of the top 12 films.

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