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.
The last weekend of February saw a couple surprises and a couple disappointments but topping the box office was the real-life military action flick Act of Valor (Relativity Media) from the Bandito Brothers, which brought in an estimated $24.7 million in 3,039 theaters. It becomes the third movie of the year to top the box office without having a major star in it following The Devil Inside and Chronicle, while continuing the success of the smaller indie-minded studios, giving Relativity its second-biggest opening after last November’s Immortals. This also follows in line with hits from other relatively new distributors CBS Films (The Woman in Black) and Open Road (The Grey). In fact, Act of Valor opened with nearly as much as Relativity’s third-highest grossing movie made theatrically, and it’s a great way to start the year for a studio still trying to make a mark.
Opening in nearly a thousand fewer theaters, Tyler Perry’s Good Deeds (Lionsgate), written, directed, produced and starring Tyler Perry, had to settle for second place with roughly $16 million, making it the second-lowest opening for one of Perry’s movies following Daddy’s Little Girls, which opened on a Wednesday.
The family adventure Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (New Line/WB) is having an unexpected and almost unprecedented strong hold, remaining in third place for the third weekend in a row, dropping just 32% from the holiday weekend for a weekend gross of $13.5 million with $76.7 million total.
The Denzel Washington-Ryan Reynolds action-thriller Safe House (Universal) dropped to fourth place with $11.4 million, down 52% from last week. It has grossed $98 million to date, making it the fourth-highest grossing movie for both lead actors – it will move into third place for Denzel next week.
Screen Gems’ romantic drama The Vow, starring Chaning Tatum and Rachel McAdams, became the first movie in Screen Gems history to cross the $100 million mark, though it also took a plunge from its first two strong weekends, down 57% to take fifth place with $10 million.
It’s faring better than parent company Sony’s Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance, which fell hard in its second weekend, down over 60% to bring in $8.8 million with a ten-day total of $37.8 million.
Twentieth Century Fox action-comedy This Means War, starring Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine and Tom Hardy, dropped to seventh place with $8.5 million and $33.5 million total.
The R-rated Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston comedy Wanderlust (Universal), directed by Role Models helmer David Wain, opened in eighth place with a weak $6.6 million in around 2,000 theaters. While they continue to have success with the “Twilight” movies, nothing else seems to be working for Summit Entertainment as their new thriller Gone, starring Amanda Seyfried, tanked with $5 million for a ninth place opening.
Studio Ghibli’s animated The Secret World of Arrietty (Disney) rounded out the Top 10 with $4.5 million and $14.6 million total.
The Top 10 grossed roughly $109 million, up nearly 17% from the same weekend last year when New Line’s comedy Hall Pass, starring Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis, topped the box office with just $13.5 million.
Jay Baruchel and Seann William Scott’s hockey comedy Goon opened in Canada on Friday–it’s released theatrically in the United States on March 30 but is available on VOD right now–and it brought in $1.2 million over the weekend in 258 theaters.
Click here for the full box office results of the top 12 films.
