Box office sees second Lion King victory as Moneyball beats Dolphin Tale, Abduction, Killer Elite
All new releases fell victim to a reincarnated lion in 3D as Disney's The Lion King topped the weekend box office charts for a second weekend in a row, grossing an estimated $22.1 million. Internationally, the animated family film pulled over $1.9 million, while its domestic re-launch total now passes over $61.6 million.
Daily box office breakdown over the weekend for Lion King (estimates, full figures on Monday afternoon):
- Friday - $6.05 million
- Saturday - $9.22 million
- Sunday - $6.86 million
In second place, Sony's Moneyball carried on well after topping the Friday list, bringing its weekend cume to $20.6 million. The Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill drama should stay around a while due to strong scores from critics and solid viewer word-of-mouth.
Third-placed 3D family dama Dolphin Tale swam in with $20.26 million and has a chance to flip places with Moneyball comedy Monday actual numbers. Ashley Judd, Morgan Freeman and Harry Connick Jr. star in the film which debuted in 3,507 theaters via Warner Bros.
Fourth place belongs to new action hero Taylor Lautner in Lionsgate's Abduction with an estimated $11.2 million from 3,118 locations. Pic directed by John Singleton (Four Brothers) also stars Lily Collins, Alfred Molina, Jason Issacs, Maria Bello, Michael Nyqvist and Sigourney Weaver.
Rounding off the top five spots, Jason Statham, Clive Owen and Robert De Niro actioner Killler Elite, earned $9.5 million from 2,986 locations at an average of $3,592 per theater.
The year-to-date revenue is ast $7.852 billion vs. 2010's $8.140 billion, down by 3.54% while attendance is down by 5.57%.
The top five films at the same time last year were:
1. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps ($19 million)
2. Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole ($16.1 million)
3. The Town ($15.6 million)
4. Easy A ($10.6 million)
5. You Again ($8.4 million)
Check back on Monday for actual weekend box office results.