Tower Heist narrowly edged out Puss in Boots to win its debut day at the North American box office. By Sunday, there’s a strong chance the tables might turn.
Opening on 3,367 screens, Tower Heist earned $8.2 million and is on track to finish the weekend somewhere around $25 million. The Brett Ratner action comedy starring Eddie Murphy and Ben Stiller was expected to earn around $30 million, so it’s off to a slower start than Universal hoped for.
Compared to the same weekend last year, Tower Heist’s projection is even more of a disappointment considering Warner’s Due Date pulled in $32 million in its opening weekend.
Hot on Tower Heist’s heels was the Dreamworks Animation Shrek spin-off Puss in Boots with $7.8 million. Now in its second weekend, strong matinee business on Saturday and Sunday could propel the feisty feline past Tower Heist for the top spot.
A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas arrived right on target with around $5.4 million its opening day. A low to mid-teens weekend is definitely in the cards for the raunchy Christmas tale.
Stop by tomorrow afternoon for the complete weekend box office wrap and see if Tower Heist managed to fend off Puss in Boots for bragging rights.
