While not besting X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE's opening weekend of $85M, Paramount's STAR TREK took the top spot at the U.S. box office for the Mother's Day weekend. With visual effects from ILM, Lola Visual Effects, Evil Eye Pictures, and Svengali Visual Effects, the series reboot beamed in $79.2M, substantially higher than initial estimates. It grossed $79.2 million over the three day period in 3,849 locations, almost $3 million higher than initial estimates thanks to strong attendance on Mother's Day. Initially, the well-reviewed adventure was expected to bring in $18.3 million on Sunday, but ended up grossing $21 million. Better than expected family attendance was credited with the upsurge.
STAR TREK: The IMAX Experience shattered virtually every opening weekend IMAX box office record, posting $8.5 million from 138 IMAX theatres domestically. The limited IMAX run registered a per screen average of approximately $62,000 for the weekend, marking the highest grossing Friday, Saturday and Sunday ever for an IMAX opening. IMAX's domestic opening contributed 11% of the hit film's overall domestic box office gross of $79.2 million on less than 2% of the screens.
The IMAX release also broke records internationally, generating more than $1.1 million from 25 IMAX screens, for a per screen average of $44,000, bringing the worldwide IMAX box office to $9.6 million.
Last week's champ WOLVERINE clawed its way to second with an additional $26.4M, dropping 69 percent from last week. Fox's superhero hit (vfx by Cinesite, Hydraulx, Image Engine Design, Lola Visual Effects, Matte World Digital, Rising Sun Pictures, Soho VFX and Vital Distraction) has earned $129.03M in total.
Warner Bros./New Line romantic comedy GHOSTS OF GIRLFRIENDS PAST (vfx by CIS Hollywood and Rhythm & Hues) slipped a spot to third scaring up $10.3M, bringing its cume to $30.05M. Screen Gems' OBSESSED (vfx from Lola Visual Effects) stabbed another $6.6M in fourth, making its three week cume $56.2M. Rounding out the top five was Warner Bros.' 17 AGAIN, which made $4.2M, lifting its box office totals to $54M.
Debuting in sixth was Summit Ent.'s NEXT DAY AIR, which packaged up $4.1M.
Paramount/DreamWorks' THE SOLOIST fell one spot to seventh, earning another $3.9M, raising its cume to $23.8M. Paramount/DreamWorks took the eighth slot with their 3-D animated feature MONSTERS VS. ALIENS. The sci-fi spoof stomped in another $3.3M, making its total haul $186.8M.
In at #9, Disney's EARTH warmed up to an additional $2.67M, settling its totals around $26M. Disney also closed out the top ten with HANNAH MONTANA THE MOVIE. The musical sensation drummed up $2.19M, making its cume $73.9M.
In other animation news, BATTLE FOR TERRA plummeted from 12th to 23rd in its second week. Lionsgate's animated sci-fi flick earned $173,686, lifting its cume to $1.5M. Focus Features' CORALINE made $36,429 for a total 14-week take of $75.06M. FLY ME TO THE MOON (Summit) did $32,248 in its 39th week out for a total gross of $13.7M. Sony Pictures Classics' WALTZ WITH BASHIR made another $2,987 and in 20 weeks has earned $2.3M.
Box office information by BoxOfficeMojo.com.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
