Shrek Forever After swept away the competition in its first day of release while MacGruber served up yet another bomb for Universal Pictures.
Opening on 4,359 screens, more than half of which were 3D, the fourth and final Shrek brought in $20.7 million on Friday and is estimated to haul between $70 and $75 million for the weekend. While over $20 million may seem a lot for a Friday, that’s nearly half the $38 million Shrek the Third put up on its opening day.
The other newcomer, MacGruber, placed fifth on Friday with a scant $1.6 million and will have a tough time reaching $5 million for the weekend. It was expected to top $10 million through the first three days in theaters but instead becomes another bust for Universal after The Wolf Man, Repo Men, Leap Year, Green Zone and Robin Hood.
Second place went to Iron Man 2 with $7.6 million, third to Robin Hood with $5.6 million and fourth to Letters to Juliet with $3 million.
Check back Sunday for the full estimated weekend box office results.
