America has chosen, and The Lorax is their new favorite film as the 3-D animated Dr. Seuss adaptation brought in an estimated $17.4 million on Friday along with an A CinemaScore as it hopes to rise as high as $60 million for the three-day weekend.
As long as The Lorax crosses the $42 million mark it will own the highest opening weekend total for 2012 so far and the tree-hugging onslaught is looking at becoming the highest grossing Seuss adaptation of all-time, ahead of How the Grinch Stole Christmas which took in $55 million back in 2000. Additionally, if it hits the $60 million point it will become one of the top five March openers once the weekend is out as the 2012 box-office continues to impress.
In second is the hardcore party flick Project X, which took in an estimated $8.1 million on Friday, which includes $1.2 million from midnight screenings. With a B CinemaScore in its pocket it is likely to top out just over $20 million, which makes yet another case for these found footage features with this one costing a reported $12 million to produce.
Last weekend’s box-office winner, Act of Valor is looking at a 53% dip after $3.8 million on Friday and what should be about an $11+ million second weekend.
Elsewhere, outside the top ten, Oscar Best Picture winner The Artist expanded from 966 theaters to 1,756 and brought in $938,000 on Friday and should be able to pull in around $3 million for the weekend.
I have included Friday’s estimated top ten directly below and will be back on Sunday morning with a complete box-office wrap up.
- The Lorax – $17.4 million
- Project X – $8.1 million
- Act of Valor – $3.8 million
- Safe House – $1.9 million
- The Vow – $1.85 million
- Tyler Perry’s Good Deeds – $1.85 million
- This Means War – $1.6 million
- Journey 2: The Mysterious Island – $1.3 million
- Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance – $1.12 million
- Wanderlust – $1.1 million
