The winner and still champion
Horton Hears a Who! decided to play two, topping the box office for a second weekend with $24.6 million. Right on its tale was the latest from Tyler Perry, Meet the Browns, which opened impressively at $20 million. That marks the first time since mid-January that two films earned $20 million or more in the same weekend.
The up side
Under the Same Moon earned $2.6 million in just 266 theaters, good for a five-digit per-screen average. But what's more notable is that in doing so, it set a record for the richest opening weekend for a Spanish-language film, topping last year's Ladron Que Roba a Ladron by a million bucks.
Bomb Squad
It's been tough of late for the Squad to find new members, but it appears that The Spiderwick Chronicles is now worthy of induction. The kids fantasy film that Paramount no doubt hoped to turn into a franchise has only earned $68 million in six weeks of release. That doesn't sound too bad until you consider that is cost $90 million to make. A sequel may well see the light of day, but you can bet it will come with a tighter budget.
Swami Sez
Check and check
Prediction: Horton Hears a Who! remains on top with another $28 million.
Result: Little heavy on the total, but not too egregious.
Prediction: Meet the Browns edges out Drillbit Taylor with $17 million.
Result: Browns won the battle without breaking a sweat as Drillbit managed just $10.3 million.
To screen, or not to screen
This weekend provides an interesting test case for the effect of movie criticism. Battling it out for the top spot will be 21, which was roundly booed by the film elitists, and Superhero Movie, which might have been had it screen in advance. How will those films' reviews (or lack their of) effect their earning power.
Prediction: No news is good news for Superhero Movie as it tops the box office with $19 million.
On the positive side
One movie that will likely benefit from positive reviews is Stop-Loss, the second film from Boys Don't Cry director Kimberly Peirce. Still, it opens in about half the number of theaters that the two previously mentioned releases will, and its subject matter (Iraq) is one that audiences have roundly ignored of late.
Prediction: Stop-Loss is neither fish nor foul, earning $6 million and a sixth-place finish.
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