The Croods has quickly become a much needed hit for Dreamworks Animation after taking the box office by storm on Friday. Fellow new release Olympus Has Fallen also put up a double-digit opening day and came in a slow second, while Admission proved to be little more than an unwanted third wheel in the newcomer’s club.
Opening at over 4,000 locations, The Croods accumulated $11.6 million in ticket sales on Friday in North American to start just behind another Dreamworks Animation hit, How to Train Your Dragon, which tallied $12.1 million its opening day. With weekend business expected to boost family attendance on Saturday and Sunday, look for The Croods to cross $40 million through Sunday and possibly come close to reaching $45 million.
Playing against The Croods and going after males in the 18-34 demographic was the action thriller Olympus Has Fallen starring Gerard Butler. It achieved a $10.4 million opening day and is pacing to top $25 million through the weekend. That solid start bodes well for next weekend’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation which seeks out a similar audience.
Disney’s Oz The Great and Powerful finally took a step back but still managed to land in third place with $5.7 million. It has now earned $161.2 million through only 15 days and will cross $200 million before its cinematic run comes to a close.
The Call with Halle Berry dropped into fourth place with $2.1 million and now stands at $24.9 million to date. $30 million is within reach, which is well beyond the film’s approximate $13 million budget. Spring Breakers expanded this weekend and cracked the top five with $2.1 million with hardly any marketing behind it. A24 might be looking for additional venues considering the decent $1,902 per-theater average.
The third newcomer Admission starring Paul Rudd and Tina Fey stumbled into sixth place with $2.06 million. Look for this dud of a comedy to maybe reach $7 million for the weekend and end up on Blu-ray and DVD as quickly as legally possible.
Be sure to check back tomorrow to see if The Croods was able to reach $45 million when we publish the weekend box office studio estimates.
