Via Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, and other sources:Despite a slight overestimation, "Rio" still delivered the biggest opening weekend of 2011 with $39.2 million in box office receipts. "Rio" was just the latest in a steady stream of popular animated features for the year, following in the footsteps of "Hop", "Rango", and "Gnomeo and Juliet". "Rio" has already amassed $170 million in worldwide box office, as the film was released overseas a week ahead of its North American release.
"Rio"'s success was supposed to be in concert with comparable numbers for the much anticipated "Scream 4", a rekindling of the 90's franchise that earned $300 million domestically from its initial trio of films. 11 years went by, the stars of the franchise traveled up and down the A-list, but back together once more, excitement was there. Some terrific reviews, with most of them average-to-good, did not translate to audience. An opening Friday led to a diminished interest as the weekend went on and the film opened to a disappointing $18.7 million. The hopes of a comparable final gross are seemingly dashed as this muted "Scream" should earn approximately $50-$55 million by the end of its run.
Although initially reported as a Top 10 debut for Robert Redford and Roadside Attractions, "The Conspirator" opened at #11 with actual receipts counted. Top 10 debut or not, the film still delivered a comparable number to its estimate with $3.5 million earned at 707 locations. "The Conspirator" has become the largest opening gross for a Roadside Attractions film and could move past the Oscar-nominated "Winter's Bone" ($6.5 million) and "Bella" ($8.1 million) as the upstart's biggest success to date.
The Tea Party-endorsed "Atlas Shrugged Part I" amassed an intriguing $1.7 million at a mere 299 locations. The film, an adaptation from the writings of Ayn Rand, drew miserable reviews from critics but supporters of the film used those dismissals as a galvanizing effort in getting out to see the film. Rocky Mountain Films released the film strategically around the country and received a large amount of promotion for Right-wing and Republican-themed talk shows. This attention allowed Rocky Mountain to save on buying TV ad spots and other expensive marketing vehicles. Time will tell if this is going to sustain a second weekend and Rocky Mountain had not yet announced whether they would be expanding the film this coming weekend.
"Win Win" continues to grow and more analysis after the cut:
Three films held impressive declines within the Top 10. "Soul Surfer" slid a mere 31% in its second weekend as the film moved past its $18 million budget and held a slot in the Top 5. "Insidious" and "Source Code" both retained nearly 75% of its previous weekend's audience and continue to draw steady audiences weeks after their openings. In a third weekend for most horror and science fiction releases, audiences begin to look elsewhere, so both films are showing some impressive stamina.
"Win Win" opened in another 158 locations and saw an 11% bump, earning $1.3 million to bring it's overall take to just over $5.0 million.
The Oscar-winning Best Foreign Language Film, "In A Better World", may seem like a movie lost in the shuffle for those who wanted to see it after it took home the Oscar. It is out there at 30 locations and the film still has a modest per-screen average, gaining 61% with its modest expansion. The film has now earned $183k.
Documentary "Armadillo", a controversial and unflinching look at Danish soldiers fighting in Afghanistan, had a mediocre $4k haul from one site. The film has been compared to a more graphic and shocking documentary in the style of the critically acclaimed "Restrepo".
"The Double Hour", a romantic thriller with a twist, bested last week's opening of Oscar-buzzed "Meek's Cutoff", earning $30k at two locations. "Meek's Cutoff" played in the same sites as its opening weekend and saw receipts fall nearly 30%.
THE WEEKEND BREAKDOWN
#1 Film - "Rio", earned $39.2 million
Last Year's #1 Film at this time: "Kick-Ass", earned $19.8 million
Biggest Per Screen Average: "The Double Hour", $15,123 at 2 locations ($3ok cumulative)
Worst Per Screen Average (50+ Sites): "The Last Lions", $200 at 61 locations ($12,228,
$607k cumulative)
Largest Increase (50+ Sites): "Gnomeo And Juliet", +92.7%
Steepest Decline (50+ Sites): "Red Riding Hood", -75.2%
Films Earning More Than $1m for the weekend: 15
Films Which Surpassed $100m: N/A
Films Which Surpassed Reported Budget This Weekend: Soul Surfer, Source Code
The Top 40, with other notables!
| TW | LW | DAY | FILM (STUDIO) | WKD | TOTAL | % CHG |
| 1 | N | 3 | Rio (20th Century Fox) | $39.2m | $39.2m | New |
| 2 | N | 3 | Scream 4 (Weinstein/Dimension) | $18.7m | $18.7m | New |
| 3 | 1 | 17 | Hop (Universal) | $10.7m | $82.2m | -49.7 |
| 4 | 2 | 10 | Hanna (Focus) | $7.3m | $23.3m | -41.1 |
| 5 | 4 | 10 | Soul Surfer (TriStar/FilmDistrict) | $7.3m | $19.9m | -31.4 |
| 6 | 3 | 10 | Arthur (Warner Bros.) | $6.8m | $22.2m | -44.7 |
| 7 | 5 | 17 | Insidious (FilmDistrict) | $6.7m | $35.9m | -28.0 |
| 8 | 7 | 17 | Source Code (Summit) | $6.2m | $36.9m | -28.2 |
| 9 | 6 | 10 | Your Highness (Universal) | $4.0m | $16.1m | -57.1 |
| 10 | 8 | 31 | Limitless (Relativity) | $3.6m | $69.6m | -33.0 |
| 11 | N | 3 | The Conspirator (Roadside Attractions) | $3.5m | $3.5m | New |
| 12 | 10 | 31 | The Lincoln Lawyer (Lionsgate) | $2.9m | $50.5m | -32.6 |
| 13 | 9 | 24 | Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (20th Century Fox) | $2.1m | $48.1m | -56.4 |
| 14 | N | 3 | Atlas Shrugged: Part I (Rocky Mountain) | $1.7m | $1.7m | New |
| 15 | 16 | 31 | Win Win (Fox Searchlight) | $1.3m | $5.0m | +11.0 |
| 16 | 15 | 38 | Jane Eyre (Focus) | $993k | $6.6m | -14.2 |
| 17 | 11 | 45 | Rango (Paramount) | $716k | $118.8m | -68.9 |
| 18 | 18 | 10 | Born To Be Wild IMAX (Warner Bros.) | $625k | $1.8m | -28.3 |
| 19 | 12 | 24 | Sucker Punch (Warner Bros.) | $606k | $35.3k | -71.2 |
| 20 | 14 | 38 | Battle: Los Angeles (Sony) | $507k | $82.2m | -66.8 |
| 21 | 13 | 31 | Paul (Universal) | $485k | $36.1m | -72.2 |
| 22 | 28 | 66 | Gnomeo And Juliet (Buena Vista) | $408k | $97.8m | +92.7 |
| 23 | 17 | 45 | The Adjustment Bureau (Universal) | $357k | $60.7m | -59.3 |
| 24 | 25 | 66 | Just Go With It (Sony) | $271k | $102.3m | +2.0 |
| 25 | 21 | 17 | The King's Speech PG-13 (Weinstein Co.) | $254k | $2.5m | -49.4 |
| 26 | 19 | 10 | No Eres Tu, Soy Yo (Lionsgate) | $246k | $988k | -58.3 |
| 27 | 24 | 52 | Hall Pass (Warner Bros./New Line) | $235k | $44.6m | -12.1 |
| 28 | 22 | 59 | Unknown (Warner Bros.) | $171k | $63.4m | -38.1 |
| 29 | 32 | 24 | Potiche (Music Box) | $157k | $637k | +13.1 |
| 30 | 30 | 52 | Of Gods And Men (Sony Classics) | $152k | $3.0m | -16.0 |
| 31 | 20 | 38 | Red Riding Hood (Warner Bros.) | $127k | $36.9m | -75.2 |
| 32 | 29 | 117 | True Grit (Paramount) | $105k | $171.0m | -49.9 |
| 33 | 38 | 395 | Hubble 3D (Warner Bros.) | $99k | $23.8m | +4.0 |
| 34 | 31 | 59 | Big Mommas... (20th Century Fox) | $86k | $37.6m | -43.6 |
| 35 | 26 | 10 | Thank You (UTV) | $86k | $392k | -64.8 |
| 36 | 27 | 145 | Tangled (Buena Vista) | $86k | $199.6m | -61.2 |
| 37 | 39 | 31 | Bill Cunningham New York (Zeitgeist) | $78k | $549k | -10.3 |
| 38 | 34 | 38 | Certified Copy (IFC) | $77k | $984k | -30.2 |
| 39 | 82 | 185 | The Salvation Poem (Poema de Salvacion) (CanZion) | $73k | $801k | +1,067.9 |
| 40 | 46 | 17 | In A Better World (Sony Classics) | $72k | $183k | +60.8 |
BUBBLING UNDER INCREASES AND OPENINGS:
47. “Super” (IFC), $38k, $146k total, +32.6%
48. “Under The Sea 3D” (Warner Bros.), $36k, $26.7m total, +25.0%
51. “The Double Hour” (Samuel Goldwyn), $30k, NEW
54. “The Princess Of Montpensier” (IFC), $23k, NEW
58. "Henry's Crime" (Moving Pictures), $18k, $29k total, +111.9
