HollywoodIdiocy.com

In slow weekend, 21 bested ‘em all

While actors plot a way to look like they are threatening to strike mere months after the WGA sent Hollywood back to work by wrapping up their 100-day strike… without actually going on strike… moviegoers seemed a bit disinterested last weekend as 21 maintained the top box office spot with a mere $15.3 million weekend.

All three new movies - Nim’s Island, Leatherheads and The Ruins - fell well short of expectations, taking in $13.2 million, $12.3 million and $8.0 million respectively and ranking second, third and fifth with those takes. Horton Hears A Who raked in another $9.1 million to bring their four-week take to $131 million. Big-screen bomb 10,000 B.C. dropped to 10th place after five weeks and has taken in only $89 million in that time, including around $2 million last weekend, well short of its $105 million production budget, meaning the film won’t break even domestically and will rely on foreign markets and DVD sales to reach black ink.

Of course, the real summer movie rush isn’t quite here yet; that doesn’t kick off until May 2, when Marvel and Paramount’s Iron Man debuts. Until then, the weekend box office isn’t likely to be dominated for very long, but continue to be in the realm of fractional ownership.