Easter went to the birds. Fox’s animated adventure Rio led the box office for the second weekend in a row, earning $26.8 million according to studio estimates. That’s a slim 32 percent drop for the G-rated film, which was produced for $90 million by Blue Sky Studios, of Ice Age fame. The tropical toon held up so well in part because most kids were out of school on Friday, giving the film a larger-than-normal start to the weekend. In just two weeks, Rio, which features the voices of Jesse Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway as the world’s last two blue macaws, has collected an impressive $81.3 million.
Trailing Rio by $1 million was Madea’s Big Happy Family with $25.8 million. The PG-13 comedy marked Tyler Perry’s tenth directing effort in six years, and was the multihyphenate’s fourth-best debut, behind Madea Goes to Jail ($41 million), Madea’s Family Reunion ($30 million), and Why Did I Get Married Too? ($29.3 million). Once again, the majority of Perry’s audience was older African-American women — Big Happy Family drew a crowd that was 81 percent African-American, 72 percent female, and 69 percent over the age of 25. And those fans turned out in big happy numbers, as the film posted the weekend’s largest per-theater average ($11,254) for a wide release, and received a superb “A” rating from CinemaScore graders. The Lionsgate release was produced by Perry for only $25 million.
In third place was the PG-13 romantic drama Water for Elephants, which opened to a solid $17.5 million. Fox’s $40 million movie stars Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson, and is based on Sara Gruen’s bestselling novel. It attracted an audience that was 70 percent female, and earned an overall “A-” grade from CinemaScore moviegoers. According to CinemaScore’s exit polling, Witherspoon and Pattinson carried equal amounts of star power — 42 percent of the audience said the Oscar-winning actress was one of the reasons they attended the movie, while 43 percent said the same thing for the Twilight hunk.
Fourth and fifth place went to two holdovers, with one holding up much better than the other. The Easter Bunny comedy Hop took advantage of the holiday by jumping up 16 percent from last weekend for $12.5 million, and should cross the $100 million mark today. Scream 4, however, couldn’t avoid the horror-movie rule about second-weekend drops, as the R-rated film fell 62 percent for $7.2 million.
The weekend’s third new wide release, Disneynature’s African Cats, opened somewhere between a meow and a roar with $6.4 million at 1,220 theaters. That’s a better debut than last year’s Oceans ($6.1 million), but worse than 2009′s Earth ($8.8 million). CinemaScore participants gave the feline documentary an “A-” mark, with the minus likely coming from dog owners. Also premiering in limited release was Morgan Spurlock’s product-placement documentary POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, which secured a decent $135,000 from 18 theaters. And the foreign-language Oscar nominee Incendies took in $54,600 at three locations.
Check back next week as the car-fetish action flick Fast Five pops the lid off of the box office. Also opening: the high-school drama Prom, the animated Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil, and the horror comedy Dylan Dog: Dead of Night.
1. Rio — $26.8 mil
2. Madea’s Big Happy Family — $25.8 mil
3. Water for Elephants — $17.5 mil
4. Hop — $12.5 mil
5. Scream 4 — $7.2 mil
6. African Cats — $6.4 mil
Is there a possibility that with the actuals out tomorrow Madea is the number 1 movie and Rio is at number 2? I’m just asking since that’s pretty close.
And I saw Scream 4 and I had a lot of fun, I can’t beleive no one else is watching it.
Go back to Mexico!
Me-OW!
Yea Scream 4 was good but it bombed.
WOW Desmo you are one ignorant bastard.
Pixar films are cinematic gold and modern day classics!! Dreamworks flicks, Ice Age sequels, The Incredibles knock-offs and Happy Feet as owls or macaws are pure pop trash!!!
Is anyone named Jose automatically Mexican/from Mexico? You are truly a jerk.
Why is the Tyler Perry film the only film in the top ten about which Mr. Young feels the need to do a racial breakdown of its audience? Why didn’t he mention how many white people went to see Scream? Or Water for Elephants? It’s things like these that keep perpetuating the notions of non-whites being “different”, the media itself helps make it all about race. It’s just like when nobody calls Meryl Streep “the French/Welsh/Polish actress” but somehow they feel the need to always call Angela Bassett “the African American actress”….Ugh
go back to the trailer park you came from… and stop drinking that box wine, it is seriously messing with your brain you ignorant racist
Thank you for a common sense story!.
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———–I liked Scream. How awesome and smart was that opening death scene. Well done Mr. Craven.
Scream 4 was awesome…best Scream since the first!
Yea Scream 4 was actually really good…funny, i live here in NYC and it was packed when we went to see Scream on Friday night.
Pixar films are cinematic gold and modern day classics!! Dreamworks flicks, Ice Age sequels, The Incredibles knock-offs and Happy Feet as owls or macaws are pure pop trash!!
agreed. “scream 4″ deserves better it was great fun
Easy David. I hope you don’t repeat this over and over week after week.
I liked Scream. How awesome and smart was that opening death scene. Well done Mr. Craven.
Yea Scream is prob the only decent movie out right now from this list…
Pixar films are cinematic gold and modern day classics!! Dreamworks flicks, Ice Age sequels, The Incredibles knock-offs and Happy Feet as owls or macaws are pure pop trash!
Pixar films are cinematic gold and modern day classics!! Dreamworks flicks, Ice Age sequels, The Incredibles knock-offs and Happy Feet as owls or macaws are pure pop trash!!!
Yeah it was smart and awesome when De Palma did it 30 years ago in Blow-Out.
I also enjoyed SCREAM 4.
Possible, but not likely.
Deport all illegals now! Keep families together, and deport them all!
Need not forget that, when you were a teenager and you needed to see the rated R movie such as Scream, you had to buy a ticket for the PG-13 or under movie to be able to go see it. Remember? Plus it’s a type of movie if your’re spoiled ahead of time, you may not go see it. I loved it and I also believe it deserves better #s then it has received.
I can’t believe Sidney’s cousin Jill was the killer alone with the geeky film dude, Charlie.
I can’t believe how immature you are, trying to spoil the ending for people who haven’t seen Scream 4 yet. Fortunately, I saw it last weekend. You’re still ignorant though!
America loves crap.
Old black women love crap, too, according to this story.
Tyler Perry is crap!
I’m not old and I love Tyler Perry.
It wasn’t his best film, but it was enjoyable.
Old Black Women? What about the White men and women who flock to movies like: Jack Ass, transformers, scream, etc. Long, long list of stupid movies that majority whites go watch. But no one says “White People love crap” because they are a larger group and have OTHER directors/producers/studios making alternative movies starring mostly white people.
Not true, the Russell Brand remake of Arthur is bombing.
I don’t think they said America loves ALL crap.
Pixar films are cinematic gold and modern day classics!! Dreamworks flicks, Ice Age sequels, The Incredibles knock-offs and Happy Feet as owls or macaws are pure pop trash!!!!
Pixar films are cinematic gold and modern day classics!! Dreamworks flicks, Ice Age sequels, The Incredibles knock-offs and Happy Feet as owls or macaws are pure pop trash!!!
Seriously, we get it.
I’m ready to see the new Madea movie.
Ugh, why lol its crap…he dresses like a lady, acts bit*hie blah blah blah…you seen one you seen them all.
How did a movie about a closet case who dresses in drag make that much money…movies like that make black people look stupid.
Have you ever watched any of Tyler Perry’s movies or plays? Maybe you have but you can’t relate to it or maybe the biblical & life lessons go straight through you. I can agree that some of it is too much and it’s getting old but whether you connect with Madea or not, there are always lessons in his movies and plays. It’s why he does them.
Umm, although i hate Larry David you kinda of make no sense yourself. He is a gay man who enjoys dressing up as a woman for his movies…not sure where the biblical lesson is in that. to each his own, his movies are trash though.
Apparently Simon, you’ve never watched one of his movies…so you should educate yourself (aside from your own preconceptions, that is) before you write.
All TP movies have an underlying theme about spirituality/G*d.
What about the White men and women who flock to movies like: Jack Ass, transformers, scream, stupid Jen Aniston like Rom-coms, American Pie, Twilight, etc. Long, long list of stupid movies that majority Whites go watch. But no one says “White People love crap” because they are a larger group and have OTHER directors/producers/studios making alternative movies starring mostly white people.
Are you David?
@ The rather Silly Larry David and movies like ‘Dude wheres my car’ and Jackass movie franchise make white people incredibly clever don’t it
How did a movie about a drag queen old lady make that much money, its so stupid…Tylar Perry needs to come out already…dumb movie, makes black people look dumb.
Cause America sucks…dumb black people movie…
Because it’s funny and not meant to be taken seriously. And he has a very strong, dedicated fanbase. That’s why.
Man!! You would think he is only persom that makes mindless comedies!!
I think ppl are just mad bc only certain parties are supposed to eat from the cake and ppl don’t understand it. hahaha
Let the degrading, racist comments begin.. I blame Tyler Perry for this
He is the reason for this…he makes garbage movies that make black people look bad…he makes some of the worst movies ever made.
And your moronic comments make you look bad so get over yourself!
And now Paramount is going to reboot the Alex Cross series with him as the star. What a mistake & disgrace.
Do you think white people looked smart in Dude Where’s My Car,tv show Jack Ass,Dumb and Dumber,Scream,Scary Movie,Met the Spartans,Airplane1,2,3, Ace Vetura 1,2. The Mask. Larpoons Vacation etc.,stupid ect.
Spike Lee hates Tyler Perry’s crap movies.
I think you should blame yourself for not believing that the world is big enough for a TP movie as well as other “black” films.
Jesus died for this!
Zombie Jesus died for Rio?
Pixar films are cinematic gold and modern day classics!! Dreamworks flicks, Ice Age sequels, The Incredibles knock-offs and Happy Feet as owls or macaws are pure pop trash!!!!!
Wow! You copy and post this exact same comment throughout the list of comments. Bravo!! What an idiot.
David! Enough… We get it.
i saw water for elephants, and i enjoyed the movie. there were a lot of people there when i went.
If it’s not Scottish, it’s crap!
I love that Scream 4 is being ignore by the rest of the country yet, there are a few idiots here who still want to convince everyone (and themselves) that this movie is great.. Face it you poor zaps, that movie is sh!t and that is way is failing at the box office
I mean, don’t get me wrong Scream 4 was good but i just dont get why you guys are hyping it.
Nuff Said.
Have you even seen the movie or are you just saying its “sh!t” just because.
I mean no where in my original post did I say it was a great movie, I just said it was a lot of fun and you thought that validated your rascist comment.
Scream 4 was CRAP. Deal with it!
sorry..Tyler Perry does not make movies to teach lessons..he makes them to line his pockets with money. Anyone that has to put his name on every title, not to mention himself in everyone, is something I will never spend money to watch.
Let’s see:
He puts his name on it the same as “Michael Bay” or anyone else famous would. His brand is what ppl pay for.
And since he decided to make movies and could’ve been like every other major hollywood filmmaker and made non-inspirational films, I’m wondering where the ire is coming from.
So why didn’t this telling expose from John Young, note the racial demographic for “Water for Elephants”?? Why was it important to note it for a Tyler Perry film and not for any of the others films on this list? What was the point of that John? White people watch crap too! The Twilight films series prove that!
Exactly. This is exactly what’s wrong with the world.
THANKS for that!
Tyler Perry scripts and story lines are poorly written. The plots are full of holes, the acting is horrible (even Anglea Bassett looks like a rookie). Like gangsta rap, Hollywood wants him to make these movies to show negative images of African Americans.
I’d be curious to know what the stories would be for scream 5&6 but it looks as though this is the end of the line. About halfway through Scream 4 I asked my friend if we mistakenly walked into a Stab movie. Something seemed off about it. The second half improved but a good 50% of it was pretty awful.
At the end of the day Tyler Perry’s BANK ACCOUNT is crushing everbody’s bank account in these comments. He is somewhere chillin on an island with his feet kicked up! Tranny, gay, straight, does not matter, because at the end of the day, money is green and he has a lot of it, LOL!!!!!!
So are the Backstreet Boys, but I’m not sayin they’re good.
Robert Pattinson still can’t carry a film. Even though the last tv spots for Water for Elephents repackage it as Reese Withspoon film.
Elephants made money because it used ‘Cosmic Love’ in the tv trailers, thats all there is to it.
yeah that’s why. i guess all the older couples i are so into florence and the machine.
I can’t figure out how this is rated as a solid showing when it’s a vehicle with two stars based on a best selling novel. This should open in the 20s easy.
If my local theaters were any indication, some people may have just had a hard time seeing it. I wanted to go see it yesterday afternoon but it only had 4 showings all day and none of them fit in our schedule. The Madea movie, on the other hand, had about 15 showings yesterday.