Angels & Demons takes the top spot but falls short of Da Vinci Code numbers.
First the bad news: Angels & Demons knocked the infinitely superior Star Trek off its number one perch. The good news? Ron Howard’s preposterous thriller only bested the Enterprise by a mere $5 million. Not only that, but its $48 million opening weekend gross is the lowest debut for any big-budget blockbuster so far this year and well behind the $77 million earned by its predecessor The Da Vinci Code three years ago. And with two massive sequels blasting into multiplexes next week (Terminator Salvation and the second Night at the Museum romp) A&D will likely have a short shelf life. Of course, next week is going to take its toll on Star Trek as well, as its core audience of sci-fi geeks and action fans will be plunking down their money to see Christian Bale take on Skynet’s Terminator army. With almost $150 million in the bank so far though, J.J. Abrams’ popular reboot is already the highest-grossing Trek adventure yet, which means Paramount can go full steam ahead with their plans for a sequel. The new Enterprise crew will probably also finish their maiden voyage just slightly ahead of this week’s bronze medalist X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which currently stands at $151 milion–on par with the original X-Men film, but well below X2 and The Last Stand–and is fading fast. Nevertheless, Fox is forging ahead with a slew of X-projects including another prequel First Class and a spin-off centered around Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool character.
While action movies have been battling it out for the top spot in recent weeks, Ghosts of Girfriends Past has quietly cornered the romantic comedy market, finishing in the Top 5 for the third week in a row. Although its $40 million gross puts it well behind most Matthew McConaughey rom-coms, the fact that it doesn’t face any significant genre competition for several weeks–the next high-profile romantic comedy, The Proposal starring Sandra Bullock, doesn’t arrive in theaters until June 19– gives it lots of time to attract the date movie crowd. Look for it to finish with Wedding Planner numbers at least. Meanwhile, Obsessed has turned into a genuine late-spring hit for Sony’s Screen Gems division. After four weeks in the marketplace, the movie has earned $62 million and should finish in the neighborhood of $75 million. Apparently, moviegoers like watching Beyonce Knowles swing her fists of fury in a full-on catfight with a pretty blonde opponent; maybe for her next bout she could take on Reese Witherspoon.
Speaking of Reese Witherspoon, the sci-fi cartoon Monsters vs. Aliens (in which the actress voices the giant heroine Ginormica) is inching closer and closer to the $200 million mark. Finishing in seventh place this week, just behind the Zac Efron hit 17 Again, the movie’s gross currently stands at $190 million, the highest of any movie so far this year. The Soloist, Next Day Air and Earth rounded out the Top Ten, making what will likely be their last appearance on the chart as the box office prepares for a Memorial Day weekend shake-up.
The full Top Ten is below courtesy of the-numbers.com. Next week, Terminator Salvation, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian and Dance Flick compete for moviegoers’ holiday dollars. My money is on the killer robots.
The Top Ten: May 15-17, 2009
1. Angels & Demons: $48
2. Star Trek: $43/$147.6
3. X-Men Origins: Wolverine: $14.8/$151
4. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past: $6.8/$40
5. Obsessed: $4.5/$62.5
6.17 Again: $3.4/$58.3
7. Monsters vs. Aliens: $3/$190.5
8. The Soloist: $2.4/$27.5
9. Next Day Air: $2.2/$7.6
10. Earth: $1.6/$29
