Brandon Gray of Box Office Mojo:
Coming out of its shell with an estimated $25.5 million, TMNT stood out among six new wide releases, while 300 stayed strong in its third frame...
More Mojo can be found here...
Ian Mohr of Variety:
Over a weekend that one studio exec dubbed "a car crash" at the multiplexes -- as six new major movies careered into theaters -- CG-animated "TMNT," the latest installment in the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" franchise, came out on top.
The fourth pic in the Turtles saga, from Warner Bros. and the Weinstein Co., debuted to $24.4 million in the U.S. and Canada. It was one of three PG-rated movies to roll out over the latest frame.
Pic managed to displace Warners' own "300" from the top of the heap; the dark, R-rated action epic fell to No. 2 in its third frame.
"TMNT" took a sharp bite out of other new releases -- Paramount's Mark Wahlberg actioner "Shooter," New Line's fantasy pic "The Last Mimzy" and Sony's Adam Sandler drama "Reign ver Me" -- as it unexpectedly reeled in adults that had grown up on the franchise for solid nighttime biz.
"It soaked up a lot of business, and more than anyone expected," said a distribution exec at a rival studio of the Turtles pic. "They did business late at night, and in ethnic markets, so this was a movie that wasn't just for kids."
Overall B.O. jumped appreciably, as the top 10 combined for $120.5 million, up from $100.7 million a week ago. Top 10 over the same frame last year accounted for just $95 million, with Universal's "Inside Man" topping the charts then.
While it dropped to No. 2, "300's" ticket sales dipped just 38% from the previous frame; cume is $162.3 million after three weekends in theaters.
Disney's "Wild Hogs," in its fourth frame, was another solid holdover, barely missing the No. 3 slot as ticket sales slipped just 25% from the previous frame. Cume is $123.8 million.
The R-rated "Shooter" barely edged out "Hogs," landing in third place by about $139,000 over the weekend, according to studio estimates. Pic, which stars Wahlberg and Danny Glover, debuted to $14.5 million at 2,806, averaging $5,168 per theater.
New Line's kidlit adaptation "The Last Mimzy" -- which, like "TMNT," was gunning for the family crowd with a PG rating -- bowed to $10.2 million from 3,017. Pic was helmed by studio co-topper Bob Shaye and was likely dented in its bow by "TMNT's" surprise surge.
Further down the charts, Sony's "Reign Over Me," an R-rated drama with Adam Sandler in a serious role, bowed at No. 8, taking in just $8 million from 1,671 for a per-theater average of $4,788.
Movie's perf was way off from Sandler's usual comedic efforts. His last, "Click," opened to $40 million for Sony last summer. "Reign," a limited rollout as compared with Sandler's broader pics, was more in line with his past dramatic vehicles. His 2004 film "Spanglish" opened to $8.8 million in 2004, and the more experimental "Punch Drunk Love" bowed to $4 million when it debuted in 2002.
Auds haven't exactly been turning out in droves this year to see comedians in serious fare; Jim Carrey starrer "The Number 23" also failed to generate big digits.
Yet another opener, Fox's horror sequel "The Hills Have Eyes 2," slashed an even $10 million in its debut to land in seventh place. Pic was off from the previous installment's opening of $15.7 million just a year ago. Sequel was modestly budgeted at around $15 million.
Rounding out the new wide releases, Lionsgate sports drama "Pride" wasn't able to get much traction in its first frame. Movie, about an urban swimming squad, floated to $4 million from 1,518 for a per-theater average of $2,635.
With so many new releases butting heads in theaters, other pics were sent sliding off the charts...
The complete article can be found here...
And finally, Entertainment Weekly's Joshua Rich writes in his weekend wrap-up:
The animated kids' flick earns $25.5 mil, while ''300'' and ''Wild Hogs'' stay strong
Who knew the TMNT's still had an fan following this big? I sure didn't think the new film would so as well as it did...
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