Hop hits, Source Code stale?

The Easter-themed animated movie Hop dominated box office returns this weekend. The movie drew in $38.1 million in domestic receipts, earning back nearly two-thirds of its $63 million budget in the first three days. Thanks to an in-control budget, Hop seems set to balance its books for the studio.

A similar fate seems certain for the SF thriller Source Code, starring Jake Gyllenhall. The Prince of Persia star performs well in the critically-acclaimed drama, but the film itself was a very distant second to Hop, drawing in a mere $15 million in its opening nod. Fortunately, only $32 million went into making the flick, so while the result may be disappointing, it avoided reaching bomb status.

Only a bit behind Source Code is the horror film Insidious, from the producers of the Paranormal Activity franchise. The film’s biggest stars are Rose Byrne and Barbara Hershey, so while no official production budget has been released, the movie’s $13.4 million performance may be enough to render it a success.

In fourth place, Rodrick continued to rule as Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2 won its way to another $10 million weekend. Nothing else came close and there was a conspicuous lack of films centered on a Maritime Lawyer in the top five. Who knows what next weekend will bring?