1. 21 Jump Street- $35M
How much name recognition does a movie like 21 Jump Street carry along with it? Probably not a lot. Most people under the age of 30 probably could care less about the 1980s TV series except as a footnote in the career of Johnny Depp, or as a punchline in the career of Richard Grieco. No, what likely drew people to the unexpectedly awesome remake was the combination of comedy star Jonah Hill, fresh off his Oscar nomination for Moneyball, and the hunkiness of Channing Tatum. Tatum in particular seems to be the biggest pull, as he's proven to be a box office draw on his own, as in this year's hit romance, The Vow. Plus we've never really seen him do comedy on this sort of level. Sony's smart marketing campaign was also a plus, feature the two stars as well as emphasizing the Superbad vibe. A ton of good reviews, including mine, also couldn't have hurt.
2. The Lorax- $22.8M/$158.4M
3. John Carter- $13.5M/$53.2M
Two weeks in and John Carter is only just cracking the $50M domestically. Fortunately for Disney, the international haul is far more promising, having surpassed $70M now and not looking to slow down anytime soon. Still, somebody's head will roll over this debacle, and all those fans crying for a sequel may have their wishes dashed against the rocks.
4. Project X- $4M/$48.1M
5. A Thousand Words- $3.75M/$12.1M
Which film had the second best audience hold from last week? It was A Thousand Words, which slowed only 39%, although it doesn't really matter since nobody showed up last week to see this throwaway Eddie Murphy comedy.
6. Act of Valor- $3.7M/$62.4M
7. Safe House- $2.8M/$120.2M
8. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island- $2.5M/$95M
9. Casa De Mi Padre- $2.2M
The most remarkable thing about Casa De Mi Padre, Will Ferrell's Spanish language comedy/western, is the shockingly low theater count. Opening at only 382 theaters, that's the lowest of his career for a film he's truly the star of(Winter Passing had only 7 theaters in 2006). Yet the $5500 per site average means there was still a sizable turnout, and Ferrell's fans sought the film out if it was nearby. So maybe the subtitles only scared off the studio and not the American audiences?
10. This Means War- $2.1M/$50.5M
