Weekend Estimates: Fifth Time's the Charm for Dragon

April 25, 2010

In another sign of the dominance of 3D at the box office right now, How to Train Your Dragon enjoyed another strong performance and returned to the top of the box office chart this weekend, according to studio estimates released on Sunday. With a drop of just 23% from last weekend, Dragon now stands at $178 million, and it's likely to grow that number considerably between now and the release of Shrek Forever After on May 21. The Back-up Plan, meanwhile, posted a somewhat disappointing $12.25 million. That's considerably better than CBS Films' previous release, Extraordinary Measures, but decidedly middle-of-the-pack compared to Jennfier Lopez' other opening weekends.

The weekend's other saturation-level opener, The Losers failed to find an audience and earned $9.6 million, according to Warner Bros.' estimate. Disneynature's Oceans had a more targeted release and earned a very respectable $6 million from 1,206 venues. While that's down from earth's debut this time last year, Oceans opened in fewer theaters, and its per theater average is virtually identical to its predecessor.

Elsewhere on the chart Hubble 3D continues a very strong IMAX run, and was up 35% this weekend to an estimated $416,000. The Secret in Their Eyes held on to an average over $10,000 as it expanded into 33 theaters, earning $372,000. Finally, Exit Through the Gift Shop had an excellent second weekend, down just 13% to $149,000 from 11 theaters.

- Weekend Estimates
- Friday Estimates
- Saturday Estimates
- Sunday Projections

Filed under: Weekend Estimates, The Losers, The Back-up Plan, How to Train Your Dragon, Oceans, Hubble 3D, El secreto de sus ojos, Exit Through the Gift Shop