For the third straight weekend, the Universal comedy Ride Along led the North American box office. The Ice Cube flick dominated a quiet box office thanks to the Super Bowl, which always wreaks havoc on totals. Even without the big game, it’s doubtful that Focus Features’ That Awkward Moment or Paramount’s Labor Day would have done any better than they did. The top ten was down a steep 28% from last weekend’s group.
Ride Along continued to cruise along to the $100 million mark this weekend on 2,867 theaters. Off 44% from last weekend, the Tim Story smash added $12.3 million to its total and has earned a big $93 million so far. It will hit the century mark within the next week. The film is on par with another Universal comedy that opened in the late winter, last year’s Identity Thief. After three weeks, both films were at the $93 million mark. Thief went on to finish with $135 million. The next few weeks will determine whether Ride Along has enough in the tank to reach or come close to that mark.
Adding a “sing-a-long” version to its run, Disney’s Frozen once again showing its incredible staying power as the film approached its third month of release. The animated phenomenon’s sales increased 2% from last weekend to earn a great $9.3 million from 2,754 screens. After eleven weeks of release, the domestic haul now stands at $360 million and could make a go at the $400 million mark by the end of its run. The movie should pass Despicable Me 2 within the next week to become the highest-grossing animated feature of 2013. The foreign haul smashed past the half-billion mark this weekend ($504 million thus far) to help bring the film’s global overall gross to $864 million. Next stop for Anna, Elsa and Olaf will be the billion dollar club.
Super Bowl weekend is one in which studios tend to release lesser features in the hopes of bringing in those not enamored by football. Every so often, a film clicks with audiences. Dear John, Taken, Chronicle and the Hannah Montana concert film all opened big during that weekend. The two films that opened this Super Bowl weekend will not be remembered for their openings (if at all).
Focus Features’ Zac Efron bromance That Awkward Moment opened to savage reviews and few ticket buyers on 2,809 screens where it made a measly $9 million. Paramount’s Labor Day did even worse, landing in seventh place. Critics tore Jason Reitman’s romantic drama apart (check out this review for proof and a laugh), which all but killed the movie from grossing more than $5.3 million from 2,584 theaters and a pathetic per-screen average of $2,051.
In addition to Frozen, families continued to head out to Open Road Films’ The Nut Job, which once again had a solid weekend in fourth place. Still on 3,472 screens, the animated feature eased 37% in its third weekend to earn $7.6 million. To date, The Nut Job has earned $50.2 million.
Rounding out the top five was Universal’s Lone Survivor with $7.1 million on 3,285 screens. Off 45%, the military drama crossed the $100 million on Saturday and has now earned $104.8 million thus far.
The remainder of the top ten is as follows:
6. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (Paramount) $5.4 million (-40%); $39 million
8. American Hustle (Sony) $4.3 million (-39%); $133.6 million
9. The Wolf of Wall Street (Parmount) $3.5 million (-35%); $104 million
10. I, Frankenstein (Lionsgate) $3.5 million (-59%); $14.4 million
The Lego Movie, George Clooney’s The Monuments Men, and Vampire Academy all take aim at Ride Along next weekend, with at least two of them in position to knock the incumbent champ down.
