So far 2011 box office numbers have been down overall from last year but that finally changed this weekend which produced 12% higher than the same weekend in 2010. Much of the credit goes to the animated film Rio and while Scream 4 was anything but a hit it was able to make enough to push the total for the top ten ahead. The animated family film Rio easily took the top spot with $40 million. Audiences were ready for something new with the well reviewed movie, which supplanted Hop as the o...

It was a disappointing weekend at the box office as the animated family film Hop held onto the crown in easy fashion. The comedies Arthur and Your Highness disappointed while the action film Hanna and Christian-themed 'based on a true story' Soul Surfer performed well given expectations and smaller budgets. Hop collected another $21.7 million as it fell a reasonable 42% facing little competition in the targeted demographic. That will change with the release of Rio next week. Despite gener...

All three new films to open this weekend targeted a different audience and have seen successful returns especially considering their respective budgets. The animated-live action mix Hop came in first place as a family film, Source Code finished second with its sci-fi action, and Insidious brought the horror for third place. A successful streak for family targeted films (with one exception being the bomb Mars Needs Moms) continues as Hop opened to $38.1 million and slightly exceeding expec...

In a surprise upset Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2 came in #1 at the box office this weekend topping the expected champ Sucker Punch. Last week's openers showed strength in their second weekends proving that despite their strong premieres March Madness did have an effect on their final tallies. Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules pulled in $24.4 million which already exceeds its $21 million budget. The family film comes off an understated first film that opened to $22 million but was largely th...

All three new openers at the box office performed well with Limitless topping the charts by exceeding industry expectations. The Lincoln Lawyer and Paul came in fourth and fifth respectively with solid openings considering their budgets. A weekend filled with NCAA Tournament contests made curious that three films that would appeal to males opened up, let alone opened well. Limitless was supported by a strong marketing campaign from Virgin Produced, the first film to be backed by the comp...

The alien invasion film Battle: Los Angeles topped the box office with a strong performance while the other two openers were big disappointments. Red Riding Hood came in well under expectations while Mars Needs Moms has become a rare bomb for Disney. The reported $70 million budget for Battle: Los Angeles is hard to believe because of the special effects and marketing push, but regardless the $36 million opening for the film represents a great start on its way to profitability. Not signi...

The animated film Rango turned in a fantastic performance in its opening weekend particularly considering the absence of a 3D factor. Coming in second was the romantic thriller The Adjustment Bureau which performed well by marginally exceeding industry expectations. Beastly debuted to third place while the 80's themed comedy Take Me Home Tonight tanked with an 11th place finish. Though it held questionable appeal to younger kids Rango made an impressive $38 million. Filling a void in the fa...

Hall Pass and Drive Angry both severely underperformed at the box office this weekend. Though Hall Pass finished second it came in way under expectations and should have cruised to the top spot. Drive Angry 3D didn't just disappoint it bombed. In its third weekend Gnomeo and Juliet came in #1 for the first time. Overall it was one of the weakest numbers for a top film in years. The Farrelly brothers being attached to a film just doesn't have any pull these days. They haven't had a number on...