BOX OFFICE BEAT DOWN: How to Train Your Dragon Flies Back to the Top with $20 Million

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE

1) How to Train Your Dragon - $20 million
2) Kick-Ass - $19.7 million
3) Date Night - $17.3 million
4) Death At A Funeral - $17 million
5) Clash of the Titans - $15.7 million
6) The Last Song -$5.8 million
7) Why Did I Get Married Too? - $4.1 million
8) Hot Tub Time Machine - $3.54 million
9) Alice in Wonderland - $3.5 million
10) The Bounty Hunter - $3.2 million

There were big surprises at the box office this weekend as How to Train Your Dragon fought it's way back to the top spot on the charts after four weeks. The film, which stars Gerard Butler, Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Craig Ferguson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jonah Hill and Kristen Wiig, debuted at number one four weeks ago and had fallen all the way back to the fourth spot before climbing it's way back to number three last week. The film added 182 theaters for a total of 3,825 and earned an average of $5,229 per theater for a weekend total of around $20 million. The film has now earned about $158 million in four weeks, just shy of it's $165 million production cost. Coming in second place in it's debut week was Matthew Vaughn's highly anticipated adaptation of Mark Millar's extremely popular comic book series, Kick-Ass. The film, which stars Nicolas Cage, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Chloe Moretz earned around $6,444 in each of the 3,065 theaters that it was shown in for a total of about $19.7 million.

Last week's box office champ, Date Night, fell 31.4% and two spots back from the previous week to the number three position. The film, directed by Night at the Museum's Shawn Levy and starring Steve Carell & Tina Fey added six theaters for a total of 3,380 and earned roughly $5,188 in each for a weekend total of $17.3 million. That brings the films total gross to around $49.2 million, just shy of its $55 million purported production cost. Coming in forth place in it's debut week was the remake of the British comedy Death At A Funeral starring Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Tracy Morgan, James Marsden, Luke Wilson, Zoe Saldana and Columbus Short. The comedy was seen in 2,459 theaters and earned $6,913 per theater for an opening weekend total of around $17 million, which comes very close to earning back it's $21 million production budget. Finally, rounding out the top five this week is the 3D remake of the classic '80s Greek-mythology film Clash of the Titans starring Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes. The film, which fell 40.8% and three spots back from the previous week was also seen in 49 less theaters but still managed to earn $4,202 in each of it's 3,753 theaters for an additional $15.7 million. That brings the films total gross to around $132 million in just three weeks, already surpassing it's $125 million purported production cost.

Doing well this week in limited release is the Argentine film, The Secret in Their Eyes, by acclaimed director Juan José Campanella and starring Ricardo Darín. The film, which was seen in only eight theaters, earned $17,600 per theater for an opening weekend total of $176,000. Also doing well this week was the Australian neo-noir thriller, The Square from filmmaking brothers with Joel and Nash Edgerton. The film rose 122.9% from its opening week and added eight new theaters for a total of ten, earning $3,810 per theater for an additional $38,100, which brings the films total gross in two weeks to about $61,700. Finally, the Imax 3D space documentary Hubble 3D continues to do well in limited release. While the film was still down 11.6% from the previous week, it still managed to earn $7,634 in each of its 41 theaters for a weekend total of $313,000, which brings the films total gross to around $3.2 million in just five weeks on the charts.

Next weekend will see three new films enter into wide release and two into limited release. First up is the adaptation of the extremely popular DC Comics/Vertigo graphic novel about a burned-CIA team, The Losers starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Zoe Saldana, Chris Evans, Idris Elba, Columbus Short and PEHNxHHQHlrtLO||Jason Patric}. Also next week, superstar Jennifer Lopez returns to the big screen week with her new romantic comedy The Back-Up Plan co-starring Alex O'Loughlin. Also hitting theaters next week is the latest nature film from Walt Disney Studios, Oceans, narrated by Pierce Brosnan. In limited release next week we have the independent film, Paper Man, starring Jeff Daniels, Emma Stone, Lisa Kudrow and Ryan Reynolds, as well as legendary comedians Cheech & Chong's reunion concert film, Cheech & Chong's Hey Watch This. So please check back in seven days to see who comes out on top at the box office next week!

Source: Movie Web