CHRONICLES OF NARNIA sequel PRINCE CASPIAN (Disney) earned the crown of the final weekend box office champion with just more than $55 million in the weekend ending May 18.
The fantasy adventure film, whose vfx were by Moving Picture Company, Framestore CFC, Baseblack, Escape Studios, Giant Studios, Rising Sun Pictures, ScanlineVFX and Weta Digital, won, but failed to top its predecessor's numbers. THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE opened in December 2005 with a $65.6 million (more than $70 million adjusted for inflation) and finished with $291.7 million by the end of its theatrical run.
Paramount's smash hit IRON MAN did another $31.8M for a three week gross of $223M. VFX were by ILM, The Orphanage, The Embassy, Gentle Giant Studios, Lola Visual Effects, Pixel Liberation Front and Stan Winston Studio.
Kutcher vs. Diaz screwball comedy WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS did a respectable $13.9M for Fox, placing it third. It's done $40.3M in two weeks, already recouping its $35M budget (vfx by Brainstorm Digital and Invisible Pictures).
Fourth place went to SPEED RACER, dropping almost 60 percent from its debut for a $8.1M second week. It has made just $30.3 for Warner Bros., vfx by BUF, CIS Hollywood, CafeFX, Digital Domain, Evil Eye Pictures, Gentle Giant Studios, Halon Ent., ILM, Lola Visual Effects, Rainmaker, Rising Sun Pictures and Sony Imageworks.
Sony's Patrick Dempsey-led rom-com MADE OF HONOR (vfx by Lola Visual Effects and Moving Picture Company) finished in fifth place with $4.7M and a three week gross of $33.9M.
Universal's BABY MAMA came in sixth with $4.68M for a four week cume of $47.3M.
FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL remembered to earn another $2.786M for Universal for a five-week cume of $55.3M and seventh place.
Eighth place went to stoners HAROLD AND KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY (vfx by Reality Check Studios) with $1.997M for New Line and a four-week gross of just more than $34M.
THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM (LionsGate, vfx by Macrograph, DTI, Footage, Asia Legend, Xing Xing, Svengali, Illusion Arts, Stingray VFX, Digiscope and Frantic Films) kicked and karate chopped its way to ninth place with an even $1M and a five-week cume of almost $50.3M. And in the #10 spot was Overture Films' THE VISITOR (vfx by Janimation) with $672,448 in its sixth week out.
Fox's animated DR SEUSS' HORTON HEARS A WHO! placed 15th with $411,616 for a 10-week cume of more than $151M.
Box office information from BoxOfficeMojo.com.
