Universal’s kid-oriented “Hop” was no April Fool; the live-action/CGI film grossed an impressive $11.4 million on Friday, for the number one spot at the box office.
“Hop” looks likely to earn just under $40 million for the weekend.
Summit Entertainment sci-fi thriller “Source Code,” starring Jake Gyllenhaal, also opened strongly, nabbing $5 million.
Another opener, FilmDistrict’s “Insidious” (from “Saw” director James Wan), took the number three spot with an estimated $4.8 million.
Among the returners, Bradley Cooper starrer “Limitless” fared the best, pulling in $3 million, for a total gross of $49.2 million so far.
Lionsgate’s kiddie sequel “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules” dropped 62% from its opening week, but still earned a respectable $2.8 million from 3,161 screen. That film’s total gross stands at $49.2 million.
Courtroom drama “The Lincoln Lawyer,” starring Matthew McConaughey, declined a slim 30% and argued its way to $2.1 million, for a cumulative box office of $34.7 million.
Somewhat of an anomaly in this week’s race was the re-released and re-edited “The King’s Speech.” The Weinstein Company pulled R-rated prints of the Best Picture winner and replaced them with a tamer PG-13 version (less f-bombs), hoping to draw a broader audience to the drama. Playing on 1,006 screens, it appears to be just about even with last weekend’s numbers for the R-rated version.